The Swords Master
by Melpomene49
Summary: Stiles feels like there is no place for him in the pack. He feels useless and alone. Until one night his jeep brakes down, leaving him next to the woods. After seeing something rare in there, he decides to go in and investigate. He wouldn't have imagined what would occur and what events would follow. He starts to discover his new identity and to realise how powerful he truly is.
1. Chapter 1

"Seriously?" Stiles asked aloud. "Two months? That's all you've got? Stupid jeep."

He got out of his vehicle, slamming the door as hard as possible. Cursing beneath his breath, Stiles made his way over to the front of the car and raised the hood.

Grey smoke blinded him for a moment. He drew a grimace. One thing he knew for sure, that smell meant nothing good. It was the smell of burning gasoline.

"One day I'll have enough money to buy a Porsche" he said to himself whilst examining the engine. Everything looked fine. Well, he wasn't an expert on these things so…

Never mind. It couldn't be _that_ bad. He had managed to fix his jeep several times, why not now? He bent down, looking for anything unusual. Biting his lower lip, he tried to concentrate. Without results. It took him less than five minutes to realise that he had no _clue_ how to make his jeep go again.

Stiles ran his hand through his hair. Of all the places he could have stranded, this was the worst of them. Giant trees surrounded the deserted road, which continued in front of him reaching the horizon. He was literally in the middle of nowhere. Looking up, he saw the orange sky above him. It would be completely dark in a couple of minutes. Great.

Why did this happen to him? Why was his jeep so damn old? He had paid quite a lot to get it fixed. Now he had to start saving money _again_ and…

Stiles sighed. Complaining about the situation wouldn´t get him out of it. The only thing he could do was call Scott and ask him to pick him up.

Stiles tipped Scott´s number and held his mobile next to his left ear. He only had to wait seconds before he heard his best friend´s voice: "Hey, this is Scott…"

"Scott?" interrupted Stiles "Hey man, my jeep broke down and I…"

"I´m busy right now and can´t get to the phone. Just leave a message and I´ll call you as soon as I can." ended Scott´s voicemail.

Stiles was surprised for one moment, the words dying in his throat. This night just kept getting better. A high-pitched _beep_ came from the line.

"Hey, buddy. Call me as soon as you can." He said. After a moment he spoke again "By the way, it´s me: Stiles"

He hung up and groaned in frustration. What could he do now? His dad was at work so he couldn´t call him. Malia was an option but things had been a little weird between them since they had broken up. He would rather not call her. He could just wait for Scott to call him back.

"I bet he´s with Kira" he thought annoyed "Probably doesn´t even know where his phone is."

A sudden flash of light deep in the forest caught his attention. It was rash, only lasting less than two seconds, but it was enough to awaken Stiles´ interest. With cautious steps he walked to the line of trees and spotted into the woods. The only thing he was able to see were trees. A lot of them.

He stayed there and watched but nothing happened. Maybe he had just imagined it. Just an optical illusion.

There it was again! Ha! He wasn´t going mad! This time the light was accompanied by a groan.

Wait. A groan? That meant that someone was in the forest. Someone might be lost, looking for help…

But Stiles was pretty sure that wasn´t the case. In this friggin´ town everything wasn´t as simple. In the back of his mind he knew that he should stay where he was and wait for Scott. _Then_ he could go with his best friend and together they could look for the source of the light. Going into the forest alone was the most stupid thing he could do.

But then again, he was Stiles Stillinski. Besides, Scott wouldn´t probably call anytime soon and Stiles hated waiting. Only minutes had passed and it already felt like an eternity. His curiosity was also set on fire… Would he be able to go to sleep, without knowing what that light was? He had survived quite a lot by now. Going into the woods was a piece of cake compared to all the things he´d been through!

Without thinking one more moment, he stepped into the forest. He walked past trees and over roots for nearly ten minutes, turning his head left and right, looking for any sign of anything alive. Out of nowhere, he was hit by a sudden thought and made an abrupt halt. He didn´t know where he was heading. Suddenly he realised how dumb his behaviour was. What was his plan? To just keep going and look for the light? What if he got lost?

Stiles turned around. He would go back to the tree line, wait for Scott and _then_ he´ll worry about the stupid light. It wasn´t like Flash himself was running through these woods…

Suddenly, something cold smashed into his right shoulder, throwing him off his feet. Before he knew what was happening, his back hit the dirty soil where he had been standing minutes ago. Black dots blurred his vision for a moment. After blinking several times, the trees in front of him became sharp again. Stiles looked around. Nothing odd to be seen. What the heck had just happened?

He glimpsed a moving shadow to his left. The moment he turned his head to take a better look, it disappeared. A high-pitched howl tore the night sky apart. Stiles frowned, hoping he had just imagined it.

But he hadn´t, for in seconds the howl returned. Louder. It wasn´t a wolf, Stiles was absolutely sure about that. It didn´t sound like an animal either. In fact, he had a feeling there wasn´t anything human in it at all.

He had to get out of here right now. That light could go to hell. He was going to get to his jeep and keep his life. With a weary feeling, Stiles stood up and walked with long steps back the way he had come. Theoretically, he could run, but he didn´t dare. There was something threatening in the air, assuring him that whatever creature was in here would find him faster if he did.

He only made it a few meters back before a… _thing_ appeared in front of him. One moment his body paralysed, inhibiting any movement.

"Holy crap!" he said terrified "What the heck is that?"

Stiles had never seen anything like it before. Hadn´t even dreamed of something alike. In front of him stood a levitating skeleton. A black aura surrounded it, making it look like it was on fire. _Black_ fire. With a medieval armour and a sword in its right hand, the creature stared viciously at Stiles. He could have sworn it looked at him as if Stiles´ was a delicious snack, his blood sweet wine. The armed skeleton roared with a definitely not human voice, showing its pointed fangs.

The teenage boy stumbled backwards, trying to bring as much distance between him and the dead knight. He was so going to die. Why hadn´t he stayed next to his stupid jeep? Stupid Stiles, stupid light, stupid forest, stupid…

His back slammed into something hard. He looked back. Stupid tree. There was no way out, the creature was only meters away. He was screwed. He would die alone in the woods. Hopefully Scott would…

The knight raised its arm. Ready to wield its sword. Stiles closed his eyes firmly and tried to protect his face with his arms. That was it. He waited for the fatal blow.

But it didn´t come.

Something glowed so bright that he could see it through his closed lids.

 _ **KLING**_! _**KLANG!**_

What the…!? Stiles opened his eyes to see something even more astonishing. A girl stood between him and the knight. Her black hair waved from left to right following her agile and fast movements. With a sword in her hands, she fought the skeleton, dodging blows and striking as fast as she could. Oh, and her sword glowed in a different colour each time the two swords met.

Who was that girl? Why was she in the woods? Why did she have a _fucking_ sword?

The fight before Stiles seemed to be as swift as a dance. He noticed a certain rhythm, a precise force, a specific place for each blow. For one moment Stiles forgot he had nearly died two minutes ago and observed the fight in front of him.

Finally, the dead knight swung his sword too high, making it easy for the girl to dodge and step aside. Before the skeleton even new where the girl had gone, a green sword pierced its way through his stomach, the end of the blade reappearing on the knight's back.

The sword fell from the hands of the knight. It looked down at the girl who still held the hilt of her sword in the same position. "THEY'LL KILL YOU ALL!" it shouted. Its voice was hoarse and deep. "MY KIN; THEY'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"But you won't be here to see it" replied the girl with clenched teeth "Have fun in hell!"

The dead knight opened its mouth but instead of words coming out of it, came a disgusting grey drool. Tears from the same liquid streamed down the knight´s cheeks, and then the skeleton just disappeared. No BUM, no melting. It just vanished.

Stiles stared at the spot where the skeleton had been. Werewolves? Sure, all right. Kanimas and Banshees? Why not? Werecoyotes and Quimeras? No problem. But this? Flying medieval skeletons and glowing swords? No. Just no.

The girl turned around and faced Stiles. She was beautiful. Long black hair, big green eyes, sun-kissed skin and completely dark purple clothes. She swung her sword back in its sheath and stepped towards Stiles. "Are you okay?"

Stiles raised incredulous his hands "Of course I am!" he said, putting as much sarcasm in his words as he could, "I mean, a skeleton nearly _killed_ me, you´ve got a fucking _glowing_ sword. Why should I not be okay? This happens to me every day, y´know?"

"Hey, calm down. I know this is… not very common, but you have to…"

"Not very common!? Seriously!?" asked Stiles "No kidding, I could have guessed that. The floating ghost and your Samurai sword were my first hint, though. Wasn´t very subtle. I mean, I almost _died_ , but, hey, I wasn´t entirely sure there was something odd until…"

"Joyeuse isn´t a Samurai sword" said the girl quietly.

Stiles blinked surprised and frowned "What?"

"My sword, Joyeuse, it isn´t a Samurai sword"

"Of course it isn´t" replied Stiles "Why would I even think that? Everyone knows that!"

"Hey…listen…"

"No, you´re right. Every living person has to know that, right? Swords are so important in real life, don´t you think? My best friend´s girlfriend, she´s also got a…"

"Oh my god!" she shouted annoyed "Just shut up and let me _explain_!"

"Okay, explain, Ninja Girl. But I hope you have a good explanation because…"

"I do have a perfectly understandable explanation!"

"Really?" replied Stiles "Because I´m pretty sure it isn´t legal to have a sword like that. In fact, I don´t think…"

She rolled her eyes, shrugged, turned around and walked away "I give up"

"Hey, don´t you _dare_!" yelled Stiles "I demand an explanation!"

The girl kept going, ignoring him. Her silhouette becoming smaller each second. Stiles doubted for a moment what he should do. He could forget the girl and go back to his jeep. But then he´d never know what had happened here. The ghost was dead anyway so…

"Hey, Ninja Girl!" he shouted, waving his arms to get her attention "Wait for me! I wannna know what that thing was"

Without knowing if Ninja Girl had heard him, he ran as fast as he could, trying to reach her side. When he finally got there, she crossed her arms and looked at him. Stiles wasn´t able to say anything at first, he was out of breath for a moment.

Finally, he recovered his composure, still breathing heavily, but being able to talk. "What the hell was that?"

"It was a medieval vampire"

Stiles glared at her for a moment. "Why not?" he finally said "Is Edward Cullen also here? And Dracula?"

"Dracula does not exist"

"But vampires do?" asked Stiles "And your sword! Kinda something like Excalibur?"

Ninja Girl rolled her eyes "I already told you; it´s Joyeuse"

Stiles stared at her. He didn´t understand what she was saying, didn´t know what that word meant. "Can you just please tell me what just happened?"

"I already told you, a vampire tried to drink your blood, I killed it. End. Finito."

"That was _not_ a vampire" claimed Stiles "Vampires are good-looking, they don´t float and they definitely don´t howl"

"Obviously not that kind of…" she trailed off. Suddenly her eyes widened like she just realised something "You heard a howl?"

"Yes"

She shook her head "No, you didn´t"

"Yes, I did" he answered slowly "I think I am capable of knowing…"

Looking at her, he realised that she wasn´t listening to him. Her eyes were unfocused, staring into the forest. "That would mean… but I would know…" she whispered to herself.

"Hey! Lady Ninja!" he said "What _would_ you know? Why shouldn´t I have heard the vampire?"

She looked up at him. "Why did you come into the forest?"

Stiles opened his mouth ready to reply, but a deep howl cut him off. It was just like the one he had heard before. A shiver ran down his spine. Ninja Girl turned her head from left to right, seeking the vampire that had caused the howl. Stiles followed her example, but he just saw the trees surrounding them. Another howl made its way through the forest and was soon joined by another. In seconds a whole choir echoed through the woods.

Ninja Girl´s hand gripped Stiles left upper-arm. She looked at him wide eyed. "There are too much of them. We have to get out of here"

"Completely agree" replied Stiles raising his palms "No interest in meeting another dead knight, here"

"It wasn´t a…" a howl interrupted her. It was louder; nearer. She looked at Stiles. Her eyes full of fear. "Do you know where you came from?"

"Yeah, my jeep´s next to…"

"Great, lead the way. I´ll come with you in case you should encounter one of them"

Stiles gave her a sceptical glare. "What will you do _then_?"

"Don´t worry" she said looking behind her shoulder "Just start going. The sooner we exit these woods, the better"

Stiles wanted to reply but just this one time he decided to shut up and do as he was told. He started going, his feet caring him back the way he had come. After all the adventures he had had in these woods, he was able to find his way around easily. Having a werewolf best friend had its benefits after all. Ninja Girl walked behind him with her sword drawn out of its sheath. It didn´t glow now, making it seem like it was a normal.

Together they made their way back to his jeep, taking cautious steps, trying not to make any noise. It was one of the scariest moments in Stiles´ life. They walked slowly, peeking around every corner, looking for something odd. Every time Stiles heard a noise, he winced, fearing that another skeleton would jump out of the shadows, ready to drink all his blood. The further they went; the lesser voices were to be heard.

Finally, Stiles was able to see his jeep behind the trees. Happy to have reached the end of the forest, he ran the rest of the way, hearing Ninja Girl´s footsteps behind him. He reached his jeep smiling. It was exactly like he had left it.

Stiles tuned around, expecting to see Ninja Girl behind him, but the air behind him was empty. He frowned and looked around him, seeking her. She was nowhere to be found.


	2. Chapter 2

As Stiles entered the school building, he spotted Scott standing with the rest of the pack next to his locker. They talked to each other enthusiastically, laughing and interrupting each other, he could even hear Lydia laugh.

Stiles fastened his steps, excited to tell his friends what had happened last night. He hadn't had any chance to talk to anyone, not even Scott. After Ninja Girl had left, he had waited nearly 2 hours for his best friend´s call. But Scott hadn´t called him, he hadn´t even sent a message explaining his absence. Stiles had eventually called his father after his shift at the police station had been over. The Sheriff had come to his rescue and together they had fixed the jeep. Of course, all had happened pretty late. He had barely slept that night. But Stiles was completely sure Scott had had his reasons not to answer the phone. He wouldn´t ignore his call. Right?

Stiles shook his head and put his doubts apart. Scott was his best friend, his brother. He would always be there for him.

Stiles tried to ignore the bad feeling in his chest as he got next to Scott.

"Hey, dude. I have something _awesome_ to tell you…" he said but he trailed off, as he looked at the faces of his friends. Their smiles were gone. The conversation died, being replaced by an awkward silence. The whole pack stared at him silently.

He frowned, confused. "What… what´s wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing, Stiles, everything´s fine" replied Scott forcing a smile "We were just talking about… ehm… that thing… that- "

"- that happened in history class last week!" said Kira "It was hilarious!"

Stiles frown deepened "Really? I don´t remember anything…"

"Never mind" interrupted Scott "What were you going to tell us?"

Stiles gasped for air, forgetting the awkward moment seconds ago. The enthusiasm returned, making it impossible for him to wait one more moment to tell his friends about Ninja Girl.

"Listen, my jeep broke down yesterday..."

"That´s why you called, wasn´t it?" interrupted Scott.

"Yes, but anyway…" his eyes widened as he realized what Scott had just said "You _knew_ I called?"

"Well, yeah, my phone rang but…"

"Why didn´t you answer? I literally waited _two_ hours for you to call back!"

"Sorry, dude. I was busy"

" _What_ were you doing?" asked Stiles no being able to hide his anger anymore.

Before Scott could reply, Lydia coughed, interrupting their argument. "I guess we better leave…"

Scott didn´t even look at her. He kept his eyes fixed on Stiles. One moment none of them said a word. Stiles felt the gazes of the whole pack on them, then Scott blinked and shook his head.

"No need." He said to Lydia, then he turned and faced Stiles." I´m sorry, bro. I was at Kira´s and wanted to call you after I went home but I forgot"

Stiles took a deep breath. It took him moment but soon he realized that being mad at Scott for something that couldn´t be altered anymore was kind of silly. Finally he smiled "Hey, I understand you had things to do. Don´t worry"

"Everything good?"

"Yeah, man. Forget about it"

Stiles had mastered lying years ago. After Scott had become a werewolf, making him able to hear people´s hearts and therefore knowing when they were lying, Stiles had started practising. It had taken him months, heck _years_ , but he had managed it. Stiles was able to lie with a steady heartbeat.

That´s why in this precise moment, he was completely sure Scott believed him. It wasn´t a _total_ lie. While he did understand why Scott hadn´t answered his phone, he still wouldn´t say that ` _Things_ _were_ _fine_ `.

But, maybe he was imagining that hole in his chest he had started feeling some weeks ago. Maybe his eyes had lied all the times he had seen his friends shut up and become quiet at his arrival. It might as well just be _his_ problem. Maybe that feeling of loneliness and uselessness was just in his head, not being supported by any _real_ happenings.

Suddenly he realised why he had been so excited to tell the pack about his adventure. Maybe if he told them something out of _their_ world, they would welcome him again. Although no one had officially said it, Stiles didn´t feel like part of the pack anymore. His encounter with the dead skeleton and Ninja Girl had given him the perfect excuse to join the pack again, to feel like he was involved in the supernatural world again.

Stiles shook his head. What was he even thinking about? He _was_ part of the pack. He had always been. Since the day Scott had got bitten in the woods, so long ago.

Scott looked at him "Now, tell us, what happened?"

Before he could reply, Malia spoke. "Can we talk about it later? We should be going to our classes by now"

"She´s right" said Lydia, looking at her watch.

Scott looked at Stiles, doubting what he should do "Yeah, you´re right" he replied slowly "We´ll meet later, I guess"

The whole pack spread out, heading towards different classrooms. It didn´t last minutes before they were all out of sight. All but Scott. Stiles also stayed where he was, too surprised to move. They hadn´t _cared_ about him. They weren´t even interested. He shook his head incredulous.

Scott seemed to notice his discomfort "Bro, you can tell me about it" he said. Placing one of his hands on Stiles shoulder "I bet it´s something really…"

But Stiles didn´t feel like telling it anymore. He was just tired. The school day hadn´t even begun and he was already anxious to see it come to an end.

"Don´t worry, bro" he told Scott "it´s nothing. I´ll tell you later"

Scott gave him a sceptical glare "You sure?"

"Yeah, absolutely"

 **Teen Wolf**

"You know? I had always wondered how a _real_ school looked like"

Stiles heart skipped a beat. He spun around, ready to face whoever had spoken. Whoever it was, that person had managed to not make a single noise nearing him. Still holding his geometry book, he raised his arm, ready to defend himself from whatever danger might be behind him. That person was…

Ninja Girl?

Stiles blinked, wanting to make sure that he wasn´t imagining her. But there she was, smiling at him. This time she had no sword. She was dressed like a normal girl. Well, not _that_ normal. Her hair was a mess. She wore black jeans that were obviously not her size. They were too big for her just like her Batman T-shirt.

Stiles tried to speak, but he couldn´t, he was too surprised. After last night he had thought he would never see her again. But here she was, standing in front of him.

Her head turned from left to right, her eyes exploring every corner of the hallway full of curiosity.

Her smile widened "So, how is it like to go to school?" she asked "I´ve seen movies but I never…"

"How the hell did you find me?" interrupted Stiles, not caring about her question.

She looked at him and shrugged "I scratched your jeep"

"You did…?! What…?! Why…?!" asked Stiles, not being able to complete a single sentence.

"Because I wanted to find you again"

"That doesn´t answer my question"

"Oh, right" she said and blushed "Well, do you remember my sword; Joyeuse?"

"A little hard to forget"

"Well, it´s one of the four magical swords in the word, which means…"

Stiles raised his palms and closed his eyes for a moment "Wait, wait, wait. Magical sword?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds like I´m nuts but... Well, I think after what happened yesterday, you think you´re crazy yourself, but, anyway, you have to believe me…"

Stiles took a deep breath. Why not? If werewolves existed, then why not witches? Why not magic? He should have known, should have aimed in that direction. Still, he couldn´t deny that he was quite surprised.

"You mean like Harry Potter? Avada Kedavra?" he asked.

She frowned "Don´t be silly, of course not" was her answer "Sorry, Hogwarts does not exist"

For once Stiles didn´t know what to reply. He stared at her, waiting for... for _something_. Apparently, she didn´t know what to say either. Looking into each other´s eyes they waited, expecting the other person to talk. Finally Ninja Girl opened her mouth and broke the awkward silence.

"But neither does Voldemort" she added "I guess that´s good"

Stiles shook his head. Where had he got himself into? Magic? Really?

"Well, my point was…" continued Ninja Girl. She looked up, thinking hard. After less than two seconds she snipped her fingers and looked at Stiles again "Oh, right, your jeep!"

"Why did you scratch it?" asked Stiles with a sharp tone "I don´t know who you are, lady, but no one touches my jeep without…"

"I had to do it" she answered "I wouldn´t be able to find you otherwise"

"Scratching my…?! How...?!" Stiles let out a sigh, trying to calm himself down "You know what? I don´t care. If you want to do voodoo stuff, go ahead, I won´t stop you"

He turned Ninja Girl his back and put his geometry book in his opened locker. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ninja Girl lean on the locker next to his´.

She peeked inside it, her eyes full of amazement.

"Have you never seen a locker before?" he asked without looking at her and was surprise when she answered, he hadn´t expected her to take him seriously.

She shook her head "Nope, never. This is the first time I set foot on a school building." She said. Ninja Girl waited a moment, then she talked again "Look, I need to talk to you"

"Really? I thought you just came by to say hi."

"What happened last night; I know you must be freaking out, not knowing what´s real in this world or not but…"

Stiles closed his locker and set his eyes on Ninja Girl. She seemed so calm, so normal. If he hadn´t seen her wielding a sword, he wouldn´t have believed that she was able to kill an insect.

Suddenly a familiar silhouette behind her caught his attention. With a careful look he recognized the person. It was Malia. Walking next to her was Scott, they both were talking. A strange feeling overwhelmed Stiles. Something wasn´t right. His suspicion was confirmed when he heard Scott say his name.

He shushed Ninja Girl and following his instincts, he took her hand and sneaked into the nearest classroom as silently as he could.

Ninja Girl raised an eyebrow but she didn't say anything. Together they entered the room. As soon as the door was shut, Stiles leaned his ear on it, making him able to hear the voices of his friends but not to distinguish words. He concentrated and finally was able to understand what they were saying. Ninja Girl understood what he was doing. She did the same as Stiles, ready to eavesdrop.

"…should tell him" Malia´s voice.

"It will hurt him" answered Scott "Maybe if we just keep hiding everything that happens..."

"No, Scott. He _has_ to know. The whole pack agrees"

"Did you see how disappointed he was? He wanted to tell us something…"

"What do you _think_ it was, Scott?" asked Malia annoyed "He probably wanted to tell us something stupid. Like last week when he told us about the new movie he had watched. We have other things to worry about"

"Yeah, but, I mean, there´s nothing _bad_ about it. He´s just, y´know, a normal person"

"But we are _not_ normal, Scott. That´s the problem. He _is_ human, we are _not_. There´s no place for Stiles in the pack"

"You think I haven´t realised that?" said Scott. The calm in his voice was gone, instead there was pure anger and frustration "He´s just a burden to carry. He hinders the whole pack. He endangers all of us when he comes to a fight ´cause we have to protect him. I _know_ , Malia."

"Then why don´t you tell him? Tell him it´s for his own good. Tell him that´s the way things have to be!"

"He´s still my best friend. I can´t do that. I´d like to, but I simply can´t"

The voices became muffled as Stiles got away from the door. He didn´t want to listen to them anymore. That´s what they thought? So he hadn´t been imagining it all. He was no longer part of the pack. They didn´t want him around. His eyes started burning but he didn´t know why. What had he done wrong? He had always tried to help them; he had always tried to be as useful as he could. Clearly that wasn´t enough.

He stood up, Ninja Girl in front of him completely forgotten. He was glad he hadn´t told them anything. Chances were, they wouldn´t have believed him anyways. Stiles leaned on the door and sighed, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"Hey, listen" said Ninja Girl "I´m sure they didn´t mean it…"

"He´s my best friend" said Stiles, his eyes glassy "He knows me better than anyone "

"No, listen, I know something that they don´t…"

"Yeah, well, since you met me like 12 hours ago, I highly doubt that"

"Seriously, yesterday when you heard the howls. I did some research…"

Stiles shook his head and opened his eyes "I know you´re trying to cheer me up, but I just… I just want to be alone"

"No, LISTEN, PLEASE, I was going to tell you this anyway. That´s why I came here in the first place..."

Stiles couldn´t take it anymore. He just wanted to forget the last 24 hours. A tear rushed down his cheek. Without paying more attention to Ninja Girl, he opened the door and walked as fast as he could out of the room.

He glimpsed Scott and Malia, standing next to Scott´s locker. They didn´t even notice him. Not that they cared about him, anyway. That was clear by now. He clenched his fists. If that´s the way they wanted things to be then so be it. They could go to hell.

Stiles lowered his head and made his way out of the school.

 **Teen Wolf**

Malia rolled her eyes at Scott´s reply. "If you´re not going to talk to…"

A door slammed shut. Malia jumped out of her skin and turned around without thinking. A girl she had never seen before had come out of the nearest classroom.

The girl looked around as if looking for someone. "Stiles!?" she called "Stiles, come back! I have to tell you something!"

Malia turned to Scott. He was also looking at the girl with a questioning look in his eyes. "You know her?" he asked.

Malia shook her head "Never seen her"

The girl walked down the hallway, clearly looking for Stiles. She looked around her and asked another girl if she had seen a tall, skinny boy with black hair, but the stranger just shook her head. Malia couldn´t help but ask herself who that girl was. It seemed like she really cared about Stiles and wanted really bad to find him. But if there was someone that was so near to him, then Stiles would have told her, or at least Scott. Why did they not know her?

She saw the girl sigh and cover her hands with her hands. "I just had to talk to him… but I can´t even do that" she whispered. If it hadn´t been for her enhanced werecoyote hearing, Malia wouldn´t have understood her words.

The girl raised her head. Her eyes met Malias´. A sudden determination appeared in her eyes and she started to walk towards her.

"Excuse me, are you Malia?" the girl asked, standing in front of Malia and Scott.

"Yeah, that´s me"

Scott made a step forward "What do you want from Stiles?"

But the girl didn´t listen to him. The moment Malia had answered, the girl peeked into Scott´s open locker, looking for something. Her eyes brightened when she found it. Without asking, she took a bottle of water out of it and uncurled the bottle cap.

Neither Malia, nor Scott said anything. What was the girl doing?

The girl threw the bottle cap aside. In a blink of an eye, the girl moved her arm at full speed forward. Moved by the impulse of her hand, the liquid in the bottle flew out of it. Before Malia realized what just happened, she was hit by a cold, wet wall.

She cried out and made a step backwards. Slowly, Malia opened her eyes, her clothes were soaked. Water dripped from her hair. She looked at the girl incredulous.

A soar smiles spread across the girl´s face "You deserved it"


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles´ eyes snapped open. He listened carefully for anything unusual. But there was only silence.

Seconds passed, then minutes. His Eyelids became heavy, making it hard for him to stay awake. Stiles turned to his side, convincing himself that he had imagined the noise. He could go to sleep and…

He heard it again. The crack of the wooden floor beneath someone's feet. It stopped. And it started again. One, two, three, four steps. A pause. Another four steps.

Stiles got out of his bed as silently as he could. With cautious steps he started to go towards the door of his room as silently as he could. Halfway through, he realized that he had no way to defend himself _if_ he should encounter any danger. He hoped there wouldn´t be any, but since he lived in Beacon Hills…

He spun around, ready to fetch his best friend in combat.

His bat.

He swung it from left to right, weighing it in his hands. The last time he had used it laid months back. Suddenly, he realized how long it had been since he had heard anything of the supernatural. He hadn´t find it odd or questioned it but now…

Stiles remembered Scott´s words; … _if we keep hiding what happens_ …

They had kept everything secret, not telling him anything that involved the supernatural. He wondered if Scott had really been at Kira´s that night his jeep had broken down… Two weeks had passed since then and Stiles hadn´t spoken a word to any members of the pack…

 _ **Crack… Crack… Crack…**_

Stiles shook his head, coming out of his thoughts. Whatever the pack thought or had done, he could deal with it later. For now, the only thing he had to do was to find out where that sound came from.

His fingers closed around the door knob, before he silently pushed it open, not making a single noise. Stiles stepped outside into the corridor. The only thing before him was darkness, but he had lived years in this house; he knew every wall and every corner.

He started to go down the stairs. It felt like years but he finally made it to the last step. Walking as silently as he could he started walking to his left. The kitchen.

He could see light through the door frame and a shadow moving from left to right, from right to left, from left to…

Stiles took another, very deep breath, preparing himself for whatever danger lay ahead. He tightened his grip and raised his bat. Forcing his fear back, he ran into the kitchen. Something moved to his left. Without even thinking about it, swung his bat…

"STILES!"

He stopped the bat just seconds before it slammed into his father´s face.

The sheriff stood in the kitchen, his hands before his face, protecting it. His breathing was fast and his eyes wide.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" asked Stiles. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Yet, he had to admit how relieved he was. Relieved it was only his dad and no blood sucking creature.

The sheriff looked at him incredulous "What am _I_ doing? This is my house, Stiles!"

"Yeah, but you´re supposed to be at the police station!"

The sheriff sighed and rubbed his forehead with his left hand. He grabbed one chair, standing next to the table and sat on it. In that moment Stiles noticed all the papers on the table. He didn´t need to look at them for long, he knew what they were. Files from the police station.

"What´s going on?" Stiles asked surprised. He hadn´t heard of any happenings involving the police.

The sheriff looked at him and then at the papers. He frowned "Didn´t Scott tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

The sheriff looked significantly at the folders on the table "Of the killings"

Stiles shook his head "I haven´t talked to Scott in weeks"

"Why didn´t he…? He has been to the police station several times since the first body was found"

Stiles crossed his arms "And when was that?"

"13 days ago, almost two weeks"

Stiles shook his head and sat on the chair next to the sheriff. He couldn´t believe it. Stiles started looking through the sheets of paper, overflying the information.

Seven bodies had been found in completely different locations. A bar, a sport centre, a clothes shop… None were related at all. All of them had been killed by a slash in the abdomen, bleeding to death. The weapon was _probably a knife_. But there was one thing that caught Stiles attention over all.

There was no single drop of blood in the bodies and bite marks all over the arms and legs of the victims.

"Why did you stop talking to Scott?" echoed his dad´s voice through his head.

But it wasn´t important, Stiles´ head was on overdrive. Bite marks… blood…

"Stiles?" asked the sheriff again "What happened?"

"I overheard him saying the pack didn´t want me anymore" he replied without looking up, reading the files again to make sure he wasn´t wrong.

"They said… what…?" said the sheriff but he trailed off, noticing that his son wasn´t really paying attention to the conversation.

Stiles leaned on the chair, putting the papers back on the table. He _knew_. He knew what had killed those people. He was absolutely sure.

"I know what killed them" said Stiles

"Stiles, what do you… " asked his father, looking completely lost "what was it?"

"A vampire"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles´ eyes scanned the monitor. He sat in front of a computer in the school library. It felt good to do something as familiar as this, doing research. The only difference was that he wasn´t doing it for the pack anymore, he was doing it for himself.

Last night he had explained everything to his dad. Beginning with the howls in the forest and ending with Scott´s conversation with Malia. The sheriff had listened carefully without interrupting. After he had finished his tale, Stiles had made his father promise that he wouldn´t tell Scott anything. His dad had objected at first, saying they needed his supernatural help, but after Stiles had assured he could get help elsewhere, the sheriff had agreed. Stiles had kind of noticed a derogatory tone in the sheriff´s voice when talking about Scott and the pack.

Now that they knew what was responsible for those murders, they had to find out as much as they could about it and thus finding a way to stop it or kill it.

That´s why Stiles had spent the last two hours reading mythology books and internet sites. The only thing he had found was the common vampire stuff; super-speed and strength, two pointed fangs, bats, sunlight weakness. But that didn´t help, he knew those weren´t the normal kind of vampires. They were different.

Ninja Girl had said something like that. Stiles wished she was here, killing the vampires and explaining what the heck was going on. But he hadn´t had any sign of her since the day they had hidden and eavesdropped Scott´s conversation. He could only wait for her reappearance, he had no way to contact her.

And just like magic had been at place, it occurred to him to look out of the window. The parking lot was the only thing that could be seen from that angle. There were almost no more cars left, since it was rather late. That made it easier for Stiles to find his jeep, standing alone.

Wait…

His jeep wasn´t standing alone. There was a shadow next to it. Sties left his chair and got next to the window. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what that thing was.

He gasped for air when he realized what it was.

Ninja Girl.

She was dressed, just like that night in the woods, with dark purple clothes. Dark purple leggings, dark purple leather jacket and dark purple boots.

But something was wrong. Her stomach was pressed against the front of the car while her upper-body was bent over the hood. Joyeuse was on the floor, next to her.

Stiles didn´t wait one more second. He took his school bag from the floor and ran out of the library. But before he could get out, he stumbled upon Scott and Liam.

Stiles didn´t lower his pace but suddenly he felt Scott´s hand gripping around his wrist. Stiles pulled and tried to free himself but Scott wouldn´t let go. He had no time for this, he was sure Ninja Girl needed help.

He looked up to Scott "Dude, now is really not the time for…"

"We need to talk, Stiles" interrupted Scott.

Stiles shook his head "I really need to go now…"

Liam frowned and looked slightly concerned "Why?"

"It doesn´t concern you, but I really need to leave right…"

Scott tightened his grip "Stiles, you can´t run away from your problems…"

"I really don´t have time for this" said Stiles. With an incredible force he didn´t know he posed, Stiles ripped his arms from Scott´s grip and started running again, leaving both werewolves behind.

Stiles ran through the hallways of the school and past many students that stared at him like he was nuts. But he didn´t care, he knew something was wrong so he kept running. Running until he reached the entrance of the school. He half-jogged the stairs down and finally reached the parking lot.

Stiles ran over to his jeep. He could see Ninja Girl´s back bent over the car. The bad feeling inside his chest intensified at her sight. Now he was absolutely sure; something was awfully wrong.

He reached Ninja Girl´s side and placed one hand on her back. "What happened? Why are you here?"

He felt her muscles tense beneath his palm. Ninja Girl tried to stand upright, pushing herself up with one palm. She managed it only halfway. She turned around, leaning her weight on the jeep behind her. Her right hand still supporting her while her other hand was pressed against the right side of her stomach. Stiles took a better look. Her hand was taint with blood. Blood spilling from a slash in her stomach.

"What happened?" asked Stiles again with slight panic in his voice.

Ninja Girl shook her head "I didn´t know what to do" she breathed out and gasped for air "I was on watch and they appeared out of nowhere…"

"The vampires?" asked Stiles "Did they attack you?"

She nodded "It wasn´t very far from here. You were the only person..."

Something clicked inside Stiles´ after hearing those words. He took his hoodie off, fold it into a ball and pressed it against Ninja Girl´s wound "Put pressure on it, that will slow the bleeding down"

Ninja Girl nodded and did as he told her, but she was weak, too weak to apply enough force. She was pale and covered by sweat.

"I´m taking you to the hospital" announced Stiles and started to dig in his bag to find the keys of his jeep.

"No..." Ninja Girl said quietly "No hospital… the barracks of the brotherhood…"

"I don´t know what you´re talking about, but you need a doctor right…"

"They´ve got doctors and even more" she said. " _Please_ , just take me there"

"I don´t know where it is…"

"I´ll tell you, just, _please_ …"

Stiles doubted it for a moment but he soon made a decision "Fine, I´ll take you there"

Ninja Girl smiled but didn´t reply anything. Her breath was laboured, her eyes unfocused. Her whole body was shaking.

Stiles took her arm and swung it around his shoulders. It was then that he noticed how weak she truly was, not being able to hold her weight herself. He had to almost lift her entirely.

Slowly they made their way to the passenger's seat of the jeep. With his free hand Stiles opened the door and slowly slid Ninja Girl inside. After she sat perfectly on the right spot, Stiles put her the seatbelt on.

"My sword" she said quietly "it´s on the ground..."

Stiles ran back to the front of the car and picked the sword up. It flashed white for a moment, but it was so sudden that he wasn´t entire sure whether it had really happened or not.

Without any further hesitation Stiles got onto the driver´s seat. He put the sword under his feet, hidden where no eyes would see it. The engine roared as it turned on. Stiles looked at her. "Where to?"

"Out of the city, near the forest. You… you can take the road where your… jeep broke down, b-but the opposite direction"

Stiles nodded and started to drive, but before he left the parking lot, he saw Scott and Liam looking at him from the library. They were looking from the same window he had. But now was not the time to think about them. He had to take Ninja Girl somewhere safe.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I´m kind of new writing fanfiction so I think my work has a lot of place for improvement. If anyone has an idea how to improve it or finds an spelling/ grammatical mistake, I´d be really thankful if they told me about it!**_

 **Again** _ **; thanks for reading and for commenting! It´s a big motivation to keep writing!**_

 _ **I know this chapter was rather short but I´ve already got half of the next one written, so I´m guessing it won´t take long to update.**_

 _ **Thank you again!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles stopped the jeep and took the image in front of him in. Following Ninja Girl´s instructions, he had driven into a dirt road in the middle of the forest. First, he had thought the girl was crazy. But now, reaching the end of the road and seeing this…

There were hundreds of giant tents in front of him. Almost every one of them was purple, the same colour Ninja Girl wore, Except for some that were blue, green and even black. All of them were surrounding a giant campfire in a clearing. For one moment Stiles thought he was camping again, like he had done so often with his mother before she had become sick.

But then a lot of people started to come near him, looking suspiciously at his jeep. People from all ages, from kids to strong man and from babies to old women. More people came nearer, the men standing in front of the crowd. Stiles saw sword sheaths hanging from their belts, some hands leaning on hilts.

Stiles got out of his jeep. He didn´t know who these people were, but they could help Ninja Girl.

"Who are you, stranger?" asked a man standing in the front line. His hair was brown just like his short beard. "How did you find this place?"

Stiles raised his hands "Look, I have no idea what´s going on. But there´s this girl in my car and she´s hurt and she told me..."

A door behind him slammed shut. Stiles spun around and saw Ninja Girl next to the jeep. She was leaning on the car, her breathing was still laboured and she seemed paler than before. Stile´s yellow hoodie was still pressed against her side, but it wasn´t yellow anymore, it was red.

Suddenly her eyes shut and Stiles saw her legs crumble. He ran over to her and caught her just in time. Ninja Girl looked up at him with a weak smile "Thanks"

A woman in the crowd gasped for air "Arya!"

At that name, all of them seemed to react. The man that had spoken ran over to Stiles and Ninja Girl, being followed by two other man and one teenage boy.

"What happened?" asked one man wearing a cloak as he got next to Stiles.

"She said she had been attacked and that she needed to come here" answered Stiles.

Cloak Man looked at him and nodded. Carefully, he took one of Ninja Girl´s arms and swung it around his shoulder, helping Stiles to carry her. "What happened, Arya?"

"They attacked, I… I didn´t know, they surprised me…" she said taking harsh breaths between each word.

The man who had spoken first kneeled in front of her. Slowly, he removed the hoodie and took a look at the wound. Stiles just saw blood. Darker blood and lighter blood, but nonetheless blood. Apparently the man saw something different.

"We have to get her to Eustace" he said to the other men "He´ll be able to help"

Suddenly, the teenage boy pushed Stiles away, taking his place at Ninja Girl´s, no; _Arya_ ´s side. Together with Cloak Man they helped Arya into a blue tent. Stiles started to walk after them, he wouldn´t leave Ninja Girl alone…

A hand stopped him, grabbing his shoulder. "Wait, I need to talk to you"

Stiles spun around and saw the brown haired man behind him. Up close, Stiles was able to see the wrinkles around his eyes. Stiles looked around, most of the people were leaving, returning to their tents, but not after giving him a sceptical glare. Some of them, however, stayed and watched the scene before them, while others ran after Arya into the blue tent.

"But what about Nin… Arya?" Stiles asked, correcting himself. He didn´t thing that the name _Ninja_ _Girl_ was very appropriate in his situation.

"Eustace will take care of her wound" replied the man "then she´ll need rest. But first, I´d like to know a few things"

"Isn´t it obvious?" shouted a girl standing nearby, rolling her eyes "He´s the boy from the woods, the one she told us about that heard the howls"

The man looked at her angered, making clear that she should stop talking. "Marissa, you may retire; this isn´t your conversation"

Marissa rolled her eyes again and left the clearing, getting into the woods. She mumbled something but Stiles was pretty sure that nobody understood. But the words she had said before, they _had_ been understood and they were causing a reaction Stiles hadn´t expected at all.

People started to whisper into each other´s ears, looking at him like he was some kind of circus pet. He caught glimpses of sentences like; " _It´s him..."_ or "... _so young..."_

The man ignored all the people around them. He smiled at Stiles "What do you think of going somewhere more private?" he asked "I´m sure you have as many questions as I do, and I think we both deserve to receive answers"

 **Teen Wolf**

"So, what are you, guys?" asked Stiles "Some sort of magical ninjas? sorcerers? _Aliens_?"

"We are guardians" replied the man. His eyes set on the path in front of him.

Stiles raised an eyebrow "Guardians of what?"

The man stopped walking. He observed his surroundings, thinking. One moment Stiles thought the man hadn´t heard him, but he was proven wrong when the man lowered his sight to him again. "I think we haven´t introduced ourselves"

"Seriously? You aren´t going to answer my…"

"I´m Cedric, Son of Leobrick" interrupted the man and stretched out his hand.

Stiles shook Cedric´s hand, seeing that his complains wouldn´t take him anywhere "I´m Sti..."

"I know who you are, Malachiasz, or Stiles, Son of John" he was cut off by Cedric.

"Yeah, that´s not creepy at all..." mumbled Stiles, looking down at his feet, trying to hide his grimace.

The man raised his eyebrows "Why should it be? As far as I know, you are already familiar with our… let´s say… special abilities"

"Well, I knew you had _glowing swords_ , but knowing _names_ is kinda another level…"

"Come on, let´s keep walking" said Cedric "And I´ll answer your questions"

Both started going again, following the dirt path beneath their feet. Honestly, Stiles didn´t know where he was heading or why he even trusted this man. But something inside of him… just felt right. He felt like he had finally found something he had been subconsciously looking for.

"So, what type of guardians are you?" asked Stiles after a moment of silence.

"We guard the present from the past" answered Cedric "The Brotherhood of Pangea is thousands of years old. Since the beginning of time certain people were born with certain gifts…"

"Gifts like… superpowers?" interrupted Stiles.

The man turned his head and looked him in the eyes "Depends on how you define superpowers"

"Like, I don´t know… Superman? Wonder-woman? The League of Justice?"

Cedric shook his head "I don´t... Anyway, the `superpowers ´are different for each person in our brotherhood, so I wouldn´t try to define them just with one word"

"And how do you…"

"Protect the present?" ended Cedric "As you may have already noticed, there are certain magical leftovers from each epoch. Their _demons_ if you like."

"And you kill them? Like the vampires?" asked Stiles.

"Yes, we eliminate the threat, with the purpose of letting the present flow without being hunted by the past"

Stiles took a deep breath. After Scott had got bitten, he had thought he was one of the privileged ones who knew the true about the world. The hidden part of it. As it turns out, he had been kind of wrong. There were still hidden things that he had had no idea of. At that moment he felt small, insignificant. All those supernatural things... What laid beyond? He wondered for a moment what these people had dealt with while he and the pack had fought Deucalion, the Benefactor, heck even Gerard and Peter. On the background there had always been… more.

"Judging by your silence, I assume I´ve answered all your questions" commented Cedric "Why don´t you tell me what happened that night? When you met Arya"

And Stiles did. He told Cedric about his jeep, about the vampire/skeleton, about Ninja Girl and about the howls. Again, Stiles knew he shouldn´t be telling all of this to a strange but… he trusted Cedric. He trusted that old man, wearing a green robe with a sword attached to his belt. Somehow he felt comfortable walking beside him.

Cedric listened carefully, just like his father had done. Then, not waiting a second after Stiles had finished, he spoke up again. "Tell me more about the howls"

"They didn´t sound human, nor like an animal… they sounded like… like… something dead… Or someone trying to scream their sorrows out of their bodies. Like a lost soul"

Cedric nodded absently and kept going. Suddenly Stiles heard leaves rustle to his right. He stopped going and looked doubtfully at Cedric. The man drew his sword out.

"Show yourself!" he demanded.

A blonde girl; Marissa, Stiles remembered, came running in their direction. "We´re under attack!"

Cedric lowered his sword and looked baffled " _What_? That´s not possible..."

"No time for explanations, the _masters_ are holding them back, the _mages_ are also trying to…" interrupted the girl, shaking her head.

Before Marissa could end her sentence, Cedric took off. He spun around and ran the path back that he and Stiles had followed. In seconds he was out of sight, leaving Stiles and Marissa alone.

She stood there for a moment, her eyes following Cedric. Finally, she looked at Stiles. "What are you waiting for? Help us if you are who Arya said you were!"

"What?" asked Stiles puzzled "What did she…? Who am….?" But Marissa wasn´t standing in front of him anymore. The girl was already running after Cedric.

 **Teen Wolf**

Shakespeare had once said: "Hell is empty, and all demons are here"

In that moment Stiles totally agreed with the poet. Never in his life, even after Scott had become a werewolf, had he seen something like the scenario in front of him.

People with swords were running between tents, shouting at each other commands, getting in certain formations. All of them wore dark purple clothes. Spread across the clearing also stood people with blue cloaks. They didn´t seem to have a specific formation, it was like they were fighting on their own, not influencing each other. But they had no swords. With spread arms, palms facing the sky, they were saying words in foreign languages.

For one moment, Stiles didn´t know what the heck they were doing. Until he saw the lightning striking from a woman´s hand. It flew up about 10 meters and suddenly it met something invisible. It spread, little lightnings spreading from the point of impact. One moment Stiles was able to recognize what it was. A _shield_. They were conjuring a _shield._

But that wasn´t the best part. _Oh, no._

All the people were fighting all sort of… creatures, flying above and between the tents. Stiles recognized some vampires but there were so many things he would never have even dreamed of. Flying lions with dragon wings spit fire. Giant lizards with scorpion stings tried to bring the tents down. Humanlike people with completely red skin and burnt clothes wielded swords, fighting the purple soldiers. There were so many, so different creatures.

Suddenly a small figure, hiding behind a tent caught Stiles attention. A little girl, 4 years old tops, was curled into a ball. Her red hair covered her face. She reminded Stiles of a particular girl with strawberry-blond hair.

Without thinking twice, Stiles ran to the little girl. He ducked, not wanting to fall into any monster´s eye. He ran past tents, people and creatures, but the only thought in his mind was to _save the girl._

He reached her side and kneeled beside her. She looked up, her eyes full of fear. She relaxed a bit after seeing that Stiles wasn´t an unhuman creature.

"What are you doing here?" asked Stiles "Where are the rest of the children? Shouldn't you be somewhere safe?"

The girl shook her head. Tears streamed down her tiny face. "My brother…"

She trailed off. Her eyes widened, focusing on something behind Stiles.

Stiles didn´t need to turn around to know what that meant. He had watched enough action movies.

He stood up, spinning around. A winged man with a dragon´s head snarled at him, showing its pointed teeth. Stiles positioned himself between Dragon-boy and the little girl, protecting her.

Adrenaline ran through his veins, a sudden energy pumped through his blood. He had never felt like this before, not even in the worst supernatural scenarios he had been. Running away didn´t come into his mind. The sight of this creature just awoke one feeling inside of him. He wanted to _fight_. Fight and kill that thing. Fight and protect the little girl.

"You´re not one of them" stated Dragon-boy, his eyes scanning Stiles body "leave the girl to me and I´ll let you live"

Stiles clenched his fists. "Leave her to be eaten?"

Dragon-boy shrugged "That´s not your problem. Just go"

"What if I refuse?"

Dragon-boy smirked "Then I´ll have one more snack today"

Stiles was sure, there was something completely wrong inside of him. Logically, he had no chance against such a creature. He should run, maybe distract Dragon-boy, but he was completely sure that facing him was suicide. He was just a stupid, useless human after all.

But since he had got here, he had felt different. The moment he had seen the crowd surrounding his jeep, he had felt it. Maybe he had ignored it at first or it had been so small that he hadn´t noticed. But now… Now that feeling was all over his body. Shouting inside of him, to _not give in_ , to _fight back_.

Stiles made a step forward "I´d like to see you try"

Surprise spread across Dragon-boy´s face. For Stiles´ luck it only lasted seconds. The monster recovered its composure, threw its head back and laughed. "Really? I don´t know if you´re brave or just stupid but…"

Without even ending his sentence, Dragon- boy opened its mouth. A ball of fire flew out of it, flying straight in Stiles´ direction.

Out of instinct and without even thinking, Stiles stretched his arms out, his palms facing the fire. He closed his eyes, blinded by the brightness of the fireball.

He waited for the impact, for the heat, for the pain.

But it didn´t come.

Slowly he opened his eyes, not knowing what to expect.

A meter in front of him levitated a glowing, white net. But it didn´t seem like a net, it seemed less… solid, more like energy.

Stiles´ eyes widened. It was a _shield_. It was _his_ shield. Like the one the _mages_ had been conjuring.

He was creating it; he could feel it. Energy flowed out of his palms, Stiles was sure of it.

The creature seemed as surprised as Stiles. It shook its head, incredulous. Finally, it attacked again, opening its mouth and spitting another fireball. It bounced off after impacting on the shield. A shudder ran down Stiles´ spine. He lost focus, the energy vanishing. His shield became weaker, it wouldn´t hold another blow.

"Stiles!" shouted a voice from behind him.

He spun around, Cedric was standing there, one sword in each hand. The older man threw one at Stiles. Without even seeing if Stiles had cached it, he turned around, diving again into the battle, fighting an enormous snake.

Stiles´ hand closed around the sword´s hilt, catching it perfectly. He turned to face Dragon-boy again, it stood right in the same spot. "Got a new toy?" it asked mockingly.

Stiles didn´t even answer, he made a step forward and wielded the sword. It cut right through the creature´s chest. Dragon-boy looked at him for a moment, then it fell to its knees. Just like the vampire it drooled grey slime before it vanished.

Stiles stood paralysed for a moment. He looked at the sword in his hands, then at the empty spot where Dragon-boy had been. He was panting, his heart pounding in his chest. What the hell had just happened?


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles stared into the giant fire in front of him. His eyes burned, tears forming in his eyes. But he kept his eyes fixed on the bonfire. Sitting on a fallen tree, he tried to blend the voices around him out. People whispering comfortingly to each other, others calling names, hoping to find their friends and relatives alive. There were also shouts, asking for bandages and water.

But Stiles didn´t care, he sat alone facing the giant campfire and waited. His fingers were still wrapped around the hilt of the sword Cedric had given him. His head was aching, trying to understand what had happened.

The memories were all fuzzy, leaving the events unclear in his mind. After Dragon-boy had vanished, Stiles had stood frozen for a moment, not believing what had happened. That was the last thing he remembered clearly. The rest of the battle was just a big, _very confusing_ mess.

 _He had only had seconds before another creature had attacked him. That time it hadn´t been a dragon, it had been a wolf, butterfly wings popping out of its back. At least that´s what Stiles remembered. Scared, he had wielded his sword and fought one creature after another._

 _He had no idea how he had been able to manage holding such a heavy sword, not to talk about_ using _it without killing himself. It had felt like pure liquid energy had flowed through his veins, giving him strength and speed. Without turning his head, he had been able to know exactly the happenings of his surroundings, the position of every enemy and how they had tried to sneak up from behind him. None had succeeded._

 _Creature after creature had fallen by his hand, vanishing as his sword cut through their skin. One time he had even seen a white lightning coming from the point of his sword and hitting a vampire. But everything was so blurry, he couldn´t be sure…_

 _Finally, after felt hours, his last enemy had fallen. Panting, Stiles had pulled his sword out of the body before it vanished. But he had noticed something different in that moment. Frowning, he had turned around._

 _All monsters had been gone._

Someone came and sat next to him. Stiles didn´t even bother to turn around and look who it was. It wasn´t neither of the two persons he wanted to talk to. He kept gazing into the fire, hoping the person on his side wouldn´t say a thing and leave him alone.

But obviously, that didn´t happened.

"So, you´re one of ours…" said a male voice next to him faking casualty.

Stiles turned his head and gave the boy a disapproving glare, raising his eyebrows. "Really? That´s how you start a conversation with me? No introducing yourself, just going straight to the point"

The boy, for it was really just a boy, not older than 15 years, threw his head back and laughed. "At least I´m not running through the camp shouting Cedric´s name to find him"

"Hey, that behaviour is _completely_ acceptable. Two weeks ago I lived happy, thinking that vampires were a fairy-tale. One day ago I thought time passed, like _normal_ time, not an _I-leave-something-behind-to-make-your-life-impossible_ kind of time. _Two_ _hours_ _ago_ I thought I was a _completely_ normal _human_ being. But _NO_ , life couldn´t be _that_ easy, there has _always_ to be…"

"Calm down, there´s no need to shout at me…"

"No need to shout? We´ve just been attacked by thousands of giant monsters, but maybe- "

"We?" asked the boy in front of him, smiling.

"What we?" replied Stiles confused by the interruption.

"We" answered the boy "The personal pronoun, first person plural. You just said we instead of you"

Stiles shook his head "What does that even matter right…"

"Let me tell you" interrupted the boy "Your choice of words reveal part of your subconscious thinking. See, you´re angry right now, which means that your frontal lobe is probably not at its best point, your amygdala and limbic system on the other side are quite active, judging by your emotional responses since I came here. Now, if I´m not wrong about this…"

"What the heck are you talking about?" asked Stiles annoyed "Just get to the point"

The boy rolled his eyes and sighed "Never mind"

Stiles stared at him, his jaw open. "Who the heck _are_ you?"

"Quinn, Son of Cedric, I´m here to…"

Stiles eyes widened "You´re Cedric´s _son_? Why didn´t you tell me earlier? Where is he? I need to talk to him…"

"And there we go again" said Quinn, his eyes on the fire "Stop interrupting and I´ll tell you what you want to know"

"Fine" replied Stiles, sitting up straight and forcing himself to close his mouth.

Quinn looked at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "Cedric can´t talk to you right now, he´s busy treating the wounded"

"Why can´t I…" Stiles trailed off after seeing the reproaching look on Quinn´s face.

"He can´t talk to you so he sent me" continued Quinn "I can explain most of the things going on here; it´s one of my hobbies to observe and memorize"

"Well then tell me; what the hell is happening here?" said Stiles, forgetting to stay quiet.

"I´m guessing my father already told you about the brotherhood?" asked Quinn and just got a nod from Stiles.

"Well, long story short; you probably are a descendant from someone that belonged to the brotherhood, that´s why you were able to kill those creatures and why you could control energy"

Stiles opened his mouth, trying to decide which of the thousand questions in his mind to ask first. What was this boy talking about? He was pretty sure his whole family tree had always been normal. No brotherhood, no monks, definitely no monster-killing-ninjas. However, before he was able to pronounce a single sound, Quinn started to talk again.

"The interesting fact here is that you seem to have two gifts, instead of one." he said "You created a shield, I saw that. That would mean that you´re a _mage_. But you were also able to use the sword or more precisely; to kill with it. Only _masters_ can kill with swords. If you were a _mage_ , the sword wouldn´t have been able to kill the demons"

"I have no idea what you´re talking about"

"Let´s see" replied Quinn, turning his head, looking for something. After a few seconds he moved his chin slightly forward, pointing to a woman entering a tent "You see her clothes? They´re blue, that means she´s a _mage_ "

"Like Harry Potter? Gandalf? Darth Vader?"

Quinn frowned confused and shook his head. "No, definitely not." he assured "It´s more like energy, most of the times electricity. I´ll guess you´ll find out soon enough, you´ll have to learn how to use it anyway. Moving on; you saw Arya´s clothes, didn´t you?"

"You mean their colour? Dark purple?"

"Exactly. That means she´s a _master_. _Masters_ have swords that also have a kind of magic, it´s not like the one from a _mage_ , though. Most of the members of the Brotherhood are either _masters_ or _mages_. Some, however, have other abilities like the _seers_ or _necromants_ , but those are the minority"

"And what has that to do with me?" asked Stiles "I mean I´m really thankful for your introduction in this confusing world but I still don´t know what happened over there"

Quinn sighed. "Our abilities run in families. You have abilities. Logical conclusion; someone of your family had our abilities. There might be another explanation but I don´t think that´s the case"

"What other explanation?"

"It´s something stupid some members believe. There is supposed…" but before he could finish, Quinn was cut off by a female voice shouting his name.

Stiles and Quinn turned around, looking for the owner of the voice. Marissa, the redheaded girl, was coming towards them. "Quinn, what are you doing? Why aren´t you helping to build the tents?"

"My father asked me to talk to Stiles"

She rolled her eyes "Yeah, right and I´m the Queen of England. Just get up and help us!"

Quinn looked at her furious. He clenched his fists and stayed right where he was "You have no right to talk to me like that. If you have something to say, go and talk to my father. I think he´ll be pleased to be interrupted by a girl and her tantrum!"

"Listen to me here, just because your stupid science says your little brain is something special, you don´t…"

"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down and cool your engines" interrupted Stiles, standing up and looking at both of the teenagers in front of him, not wanting to be in the middle of an argument "Fear and anger lead to the dark side"

He hadn´t though it would work, but it did. Marissa and Quinn shut up, giving him incredulous and confused glares.

"What the hell are you saying?" finally asked Marissa, her expression showing how completely lost she was.

Stiles shrugged "Yoda said it. He was a wise man"

"Who on earth is...?" started Marissa, but she didn´t finish her sentence. She shook her head and gave Quinn a murderous glare, turning around and leaving without one more word.

Quinn looked at her, then his eyes travelled back to Stiles "At least we got rid of _her_ "

"Who is she?" asked Stiles. He had once read that it was better to know the enemy and that girl didn´t seem to want to befriend him. At all.

"She´s a _master_. One of the best just like Arya. They sort of don´t get along" answered Quinn "My theory is that it´s all based on jealousy, that part of evolution that thrives to be the best to have more chance to survive and…"

"I get it, I get it" interrupted Stiles, raising his palms "You like to explain the things you know, I get it."

Quinn looked at him for a moment, apparently not knowing what to say. Stile´s eyes wondered up, looking at the dark night above him. From here, deep in the woods, he was able to distinguish the constellations he had learned when he was a little boy. There was Andromeda and over there Hercules…

Wait.

Night. Stars.

That could only mean one thing.

Stiles looked back at Quinn, holding the panic back that was building inside of his chest "What time is it?"

Quinn shrugged and gave him a confused glare "I´d say like 1 am? Maybe even 2 am?"

"Shit!" murmured Stiles "No, no, no"

Quinn stood up from the tree trunk and gave him a concerned glare "What is it? What happened?"

Stiles shook his head and started walking out of the camp, hearing Quinn´s footsteps as he followed him "I was supposed to be home at 10 pm; my dad and I were going to investigate some murders"

 **Teen Wolf**

"Your dad´s the sheriff, huh?" asked Quinn from the passenger's seat.

Stiles eyes didn´t leave the road. His hands wrapped around the steering wheel were sweating. His dad would be so worried. Why hadn´t he remembered? How could he do this to him? His dad had been through a lot, he didn´t need more worries in his life. Stiles still hadn´t forgiven himself from all the things that had happened when the nogitsune had possessed him, he couldn´t imagine how much it must have hurt his friends and his father. He had to find the sheriff and tell him that everything was all right.

"Look, I know it´s not the right moment but Cedric really wants to talk to you in person" said Quinn, acknowledging that Stiles wouldn´t answer his former question "He wanted me to distract you while he was busy. Whatever you are; _mage_ or _master;_ you are one of us now. You have to come back and face that"

"I know all that crap, family sticks together and so on" replied Stiles "Listen, I still have no idea what´s happening and what I did back there. Part of me hopes this is just a stupid dream"

"But it isn´t and you know it" said Quinn, shaking his head "You have to come back to the barracks. Whether you like it or not, you have to train your gift… or gifts… Once it appears the first time, it can get pretty hard to control. You can´t just go around, electrocuting everyone you touch"

Stiles grip fastened around the wheel. All this Brotherhood-shit had just brought problems with it. Scott saying, he was a burden, those murders and now probably worrying his father to death.

Quinn sighed "Just come back. If you don´t want to do it for yourself, do it for Arya. Don´t you wanna know how she´s doing? How her wound is?"

He hit a point. Stiles really did worry about Arya. He wanted to hear good news, to know she would be all right. But then again, she was the one that had started this whole thing.

A howling of a police siren interrupted his thoughts. Stiles looked in the mirror. The road behind him was empty, just a single police truck behind him being the exception.

"Who is that?" asked Quinn "Why are we being followed by the police?"

"Because they just like to terrorize people in the middle of the night"

Quinn looked at him, incredulous and scared at the same time "Really?"

Stiles let out a frustrated sigh and drove to the road side "Of course not" he said "It´s probably a friend of my dad´s, helping him to find me"

He parked the car and turned the engine off. The police car did the same thing, parking a few meters behind him. Stiles ran his hand through his head, figuring out what to do. Finally, he looked at Quinn "Stay in the car"

Before the boy could say a thing, Stiles opened his door and got out of his jeep. He started to walk towards the police car. Two silhouettes came out of it but Stiles wasn´t able to recognize them, being blinded by the headlights of the car.

At his sight, one silhouette started to run towards him. Before Stiles could even flinch, he found himself being almost choked to death by a giant hug, a small body bumping into his and long arms wrapping around his neck.

"You´re safe!" said Lydia without letting him go "Stiles, we´ve been looking for you for _hours_!"

Stiles was too surprised for a moment, unable to talk. It wasn´t until he saw another silhouette coming towards him that he reacted. But this time he recognized the Person; it was Scott. He was one of the two silhouettes that had come out of the car.

Carefully, Stiles pushed Lydia back, getting free from her hug. "I didn´t want to worry you, it was just that- "

"What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Stiles!?" interrupted Scott, not letting him finish.

Stiles looked at him confused and… well, hurt "What do you mean? There´s no need to become violent, Scotty"

Scott looked at him with an open jaw. Stiles could see now how furious his best friend was "Stiles, do you even _realize_ how worried the whole pack is right now?! For all we knew you could have been _dead_!"

Something snapped inside of Stiles. The anger of hearing Scott saying he was just a burden, of being completely ignored by the pack for two weeks, of hearing Malia insisting on throwing him out of the pack and of the things that had been hidden from him throbbed in him, anxious to be free.

"I could have been dead?!" asked Stiles not holding back his anger anymore "Like the bodies you didn´t tell me about? Like all those people you didn´t even say a word about?"

Scott flinched so slightly Stiles almost didn´t notice. But the werewolf didn´t shut up, he made a step forward, standing between Stiles and Lydia. "Why do you think we didn´t tell you, Stiles? Look at you right now, just causing everyone to worry, not doing anything helpful!"

"Not helpful?!" repeated Stiles " _Not helpful_?! Who found out first what you had become that night? Who did all the research…?"

"Someone else could have done it!" interrupted Scott "Someone who also brings _something_ to the fights! Someone who is good for at least _one thing_!"

"How can you even say that?" asked Stiles, not believing his ears "You seriously believe that..."

"I don't even know _what_ to believe, Stiles!" shouted Scott "Where the hell have you been? Who is that girl, coming to you, _bleeding_ to death? Why do you get into things you can´t possibly understand?"

"You have _no_ way of knowing what I understand or not!" answered Stiles "Maybe she needed _me_ and not you! Maybe that´s something that _I_ know and you don´t. That´s what makes you so angry! To not be the almighty Alpha!"

"No, it´s not!" replied Scott "It annoys me that you think you are important! You think you´re crucial to the pack, that we wouldn´t _function_ without you! But guess what, you´re just a _simple, useless human_ that makes everything more complicated than it already is! You aren´t part of the pack, you´ve _never_ been. You´ve never done something useful! We let you hang out with us because you were my best friend before this supernatural crap started but not anymore! I´m putting an end to this _right now_!"

Stiles stared at Scott, not knowing what to say. He couldn´t believe it. He couldn´t believe Scott was able to say something like that. His best friend turning his back on him, abandoning him. But there he was, staring at Stiles, panting, saying things, huritng him without any guilt in his voice.

Finally, Lydia spoke, looking incredulous at Scott "You can´t mean that seriously…"

Scott turned around and looked at her "You agree, don´t try to deny that!" he snapped "If you think Stiles is _something_ more than useless, _say it._ Go ahead"

Stiles turned to Lydia, expecting comforting words to come out of her mouth. Sure that she would say something, that she would tell Scott he was wrong.

But she didn´t.

Her eyes wondered from Scott to Stiles and then back to Scott. She lowered he head and murmurred the three words that hurt Stiles like only very few things had; "I´m sorry,Stiles"


	6. Chapter 6

_"Everything was darkness. He couldn´t see the floor beneath his feet or the ceiling above him. Even holding his hand in front of his eyes, he still wasn´t able to see it._

 _Where was he? He tried to remember, seeking in the deepest corners of his mind. But he found nothing. Something was wrong. Awfully wrong._

 _He tried to move, to make a step forward. It wasn´t possible. Suddenly he realized he couldn´t feel any part of his body. He knew it was there, but it didn´t answer._

 _His breathing became faster, a strange feeling forming in his chest. He couldn´t name it. Fear, anxiety, fright were almost the words he was looking for. But they weren´t completely accurate._

 _Suddenly a deep evil laughter echoed through the emptiness._

 _In that moment he recognized the feeling in his chest._

 _Panic._

 _His heartbeat raised, he couldn´t get any air into his lungs. His entire body tingled and the temperature rose incredibly. What was happening? Fear coursed through his veins, awakening in him the wish to run away, to leave this place. But he couldn´t move, his body felt numb._

 _Besides, he still had no idea where he was. Knowing this, how could he escape?_

 _The laugh stopped for a moment. Nothing but silence to be heard. Silence and his fast breathing._

" _I can´t believe it" said a deep, male voice mockingly, coming from everywhere "I can´t believe I was scared of you. You´re nothing but a boy"_

 _It laughed again. Louder._

" _All those writings frightening me for years" it continued "and you´re nothing special."_

 _It stopped talking for a Moment before ir sighed "Nonetheless, you still_ are _a threat to my plans"_

"...Stiles..." _whispered a familiar voice from far away._

" _I ought to eliminate you before you have the power to defeat me" the voice was louder, nearer._

 _Something cold and pointy touched his throat. Out of nowhere, he was able to feel and control his body again. The cold thing was pressed harder against his gullet. A wave of pain radiated from it._

" _Don´t worry, I´ll make it quick" said the voice, failing to hide the pleasure it felt._

"…Stiles!"

 _Something warm ran his throat down. Blood._

 _Suddenly, everything became clear again, the fog that had clouded his mind disappeared. Someone was trying to kill him, trying to pierce a sword through his throat._

 _And he was succeeding._

"STILES!"

Stiles eyes snapped open. He sat up in his bed, his heart beating at 100 km per hour, his breathing heavy. He looked around, not knowing where he was.

There were only shades surrounding him. Slowly, his eyes got used to the darkness, the shadows becoming recognisable objects.

He was in his room. His dad sitting on one side of the bed, looking at him worried. Relieved, Stiles covered his face with his hands. It had been just a dream. He wasn´t going to die, he had just had a stupid nightmare.

He felt a hand on his shoulder "Everything all right, son?" asked the sheriff.

Stiles took a deep breath and removed his hands from his face, looking at his father "Yeah, dad, just a nightmare"

The sheriff rose an eyebrow "You sure?"

"Yeah, everything´s fine now" Stiles answered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. He lowered them after a moment, noticing that his dad wasn´t leaving. "What happened?"

The sheriff gave him an incredulous look, then he took a deep breath "It seemed like you couldn´t breathe. You were gasping for air, but it seemed like you couldn´t get any into your lungs"

Stiles looked at him, not knowing what to think. He remembered his dream, remembered how he couldn´t breathe. But what frightened him the most was the pain he still felt in his throat where the point of the sword had threatened to kill him.

He shook his head, forcing himself to think about something else. It had been just a dream. It was nothing to worry about.

"It was just a dream, dad" said Stiles "Nothing new, here. Same as always. Just a..."

"Stiles" interrupted his father, a sudden seriousness in his voice "I haven´t seen you like this, since the-" he trailed off, not being able to pronounce the words.

"-Nogitsune?" completed Stiles the sentence. The sheriff just nodded, avoiding eye contact.

Stiles sighed "Dad, there´s nothing to worry about" he assured "It was nothing"

His dad rose from the bed, looking down at Stiles. The blue bags under his eyes told Stiles how exhausted he was. "I think there might be something else I should tell you"

Stiles sat straighter up in his bed, confused "Yeah?"

"The reason I came here… into your room…" his father said, but he seemed to struggle with the words as if he didn´t know how to say it or what words to use "was that… I mean… I was walking down the hallway and…"

"Dad, just tell me" interrupted Stiles impatiently.

The sheriff took a deep breath. "The lights in your room and your lamps… they were… flickering" he shook his head "They were flickering like crazy, Stiles. Every time you gasped for air, the light got brighter and when you woke up, son, all lights turned off at the same time"

 **Teen Wolf**

The numbers and letters on the blackboard before him were blurry. Stiles couldn´t focus his eyes on anything. Unleashed tears clouded his vision. But those weren´t the tears of a sadness, those were the tears of a very, very tired man.

Two more weeks had passed since the first night he had had the nightmare.

The nightmare he had each night, depriving him from any deep sleep. It was almost always the same. He couldn´t move, paralysed without any control over his body. Just once, he had found himself in the darkness, able to feel his limbs and control them. An unfamiliar hope and happiness had spread inside of him. But it had died abruptly after noticing he was tied to a chair.

The worst part was the deep male voice always coming back, mocking and laughing. Every night it visited him, accompanied by a sword or something metallic and sharp. The voice, or the owner of the voice, always tried to kill him, trying new methods when others failed. Luckily, Stiles always awoke on time, making it impossible for the man to finish his job.

The first few days Stiles had been successful convincing himself that it was just a subconscious response to the pack´s behaviour. But then, the fourth night he had had the nightmare he happened to watch into a mirror.

His throat was covered by bruises and little red points, scars.

Now, after two weeks he knew that every part of his body that the man had wounded in his dreams was bruised. By now it had become clear that this was reality. And the most logical explanation was the stupid Brotherhood of Pangea.

That had also been two weeks ago. Stiles hadn´t spoken with anyone about it or to the members. A small part of him, a voice inside his head wanted him to believe it had been just a dream and nothing real. That just by ignoring it, it would go away and leave him alone.

But the tiredness inside of him told otherwise. He forced himself to stay awake in the nights, too scared to sleep, but sooner or later his lids fell closed and he found himself swimming in the darkness again.

Very deep inside he knew it couldn´t go on like this. He had stopped knowing any school stuff days ago and his entire body ached.

He had two options. One was to talk to Scott and ask the pack for help. Surely, if he told them everything about the brotherhood, they would try to help him, right? On the other hand, he could go back to the barracks of the brotherhood and ask them for help. Quinn and Cedric had made very clear that they were glad to help. Ninja Girl would also be there.

But the only thing stopping him from doing anything was the fear of his gifts. He knew he had them, it couldn´t be denied anymore, yet he wanted nothing more than to be a normal person. Lights would intensify their glow for a second when he entered rooms.

No one had noticed so far, but it kept getting stronger. Things heated up if he touched them for enough time, things started to move when he got angry, even fire would start in places he had sat.

Suddenly the school bell rang, tearing him apart from his thoughts. Surprised, he looked up and noticed that half of his class were already out of the room. Without waiting one more moment, Stiles grabbed his belongings and whizzed out of the room.

He didn´t want to encounter any member of the pack. Not that they cared anyway, he reminded himself. He got to his locker and opened it. Looking at his timetable, he noticed he had one free period before English Literature. Just one second he knew what he was going to do.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles stared into the book he held before his eyes, rereading the same paragraph over and over again. The words just didn't make sense, nor the sentences. He was too tired to do this.

Finally, after reading the Paragraph ten minutes, he gave up. He let the book fall on the table before him, trying to control his frustration. Sitting in the library, he had thought, would be good for him. He thought it would calm him down for a while, letting him forget how things had turned out.

But trying to read just reminded him how exhausted he was. Stiles rested his elbows on the table and let his head fall into his hands. What was he even doing? He had to do something about this. He had to stop the self-pity.

Suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder. Stiles jumped in his seat, his heart skipped a beat and he spun around as fast as he could.

"Oh, shit!" shouted a familiar voice behind him.

Quinn was embracing his right hand with his left, pressing it against his chest. His expression was somewhere between surprise and pain.

"What happened, Quinn?" asked Ninja Girl, standing next to him. She looked at him worried, her hand on his back, comforting him.

"He burnt my hand!"

"He burnt your hand?"

"HE BURNT IT!" the boy shouted angrily. Carefully he loosened the pressure he was applying on it and moved it away. Slowly, he opened his palm and showed it to Arya.

It was completely red and swollen.

Stiles stared incredulous at the two teenagers in front of him. He had been so lost in his thought that he hadn´t heard them come. Two minutes ago, he had only wished for all of this to just be a dream. A dream he could forget.

But now a small part of him was glad to see them. After the last two weeks, being completely alone; the whole pack ignoring him, it felt good to have someone around. Stiles wasn´t quite sure how to react.

Arya looked as she had the day in the hallway. Her hair was a tangled mess. She was also wearing a Quicksilver-T-shirt with black pants. Quinn, standing next to her, wore a black shirt and beige trousers. They seemed so different. Arya being a complete unorganized mess while Quinn representing tidiness and order itself.

"I didn´t burn your hand" said Stiles, finally "How could I? You just touched me"

Quinn shook his head and looked at him tiredly "I told you the gift can get out of control!"

"Which means I just burn everyone that touches my shoulder?" Stiles asked mockingly "I knew I was hot but not _that_ hot"

"No, you´re not" answered Arya, giving him an annoyed glare "Quinn scared you when he touched you, your gifts tried to protect you"

Stiles opened his mouth, ready to defend himself. But then memories of the past days came to his mind. He had tried to ignore it but he had to admit; weird things had been going on around him.

Maybe they were right. Quinn´s hand had scared him. Maybe it was some kind of automatical, magic defence. He looked down at his shoulder. His hoodie seemed completely normal.

"You sure?" he asked, looking back to Quinn.

"What else do you think would…?!"

"We can discuss that later" interrupted Arya "We need to talk"

"Really? I thought you just came over to say hi"

Arya raised an eyebrow "You already used that line once"

"Well, it is an useful one"

"We can discuss useful phrases later" interfered Quinn "Stiles, we need you to come with us right now"

"So, you´ll kidnap me?" asked Stiles, not being able let his sarcastic-self be.

"No" answered Arya immediately, maybe too quickly "Something came up and you need to come with us"

Sties frowned. He left his chair and turned around, facing them "What do you mean?"

"We understand that you need time to process all of this" said Arya "But, sadly, there´s no time for that. We need your help"

"Well, _she_ thinks we need your help" added Quinn with a sceptical expression on his face "I am not so _sure_ , but seeing you didn´t sound _that_ bad"

"Getting to the point and telling me what to do would be really helpful" announced Stiles, his patience slowly getting to its limit.

"We don´t know quite what it is" said Quinn "Cedric would only tell us after we got you"

"And if I don´t go?" asked Stiles, although he already knew what he was going to do.

Arya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms "Kidnapping you doesn´t sound that bad"

"I´ll burn you" threatened Stiles.

Quinn smirked "You can´t control it"

"I am sure I´ll find a way…"

"Guys" interrupted Arya "We don´t have time. Stiles, you coming or not?"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott stood next to his bike and saw Stiles getting into his jeep. The girl that had come to him bleeding got to the passenger's seat. He frowned, she seemed completely unhurt. Her scent didn´t smell like blood or pain.

A black-haired boy also got into the backseats. Who were they? When had Stiles made new friends?

Scott had observed Stiles the last two weeks, he had been alone all the time. Bags under his eyes, his shoulders down. He could almost smell how lonely and sad he had been.

But it had been for the best. Stiles leaving the pack only brought good things with it. He could now focus on training Liam and Malia, help Kira to uncover her Kitsune abilities and become a better alpha. Everything good run faster and more smoothly without having to worry about Stile´s safety.

Two figures appeared next to him. Lydia and Malia.

"What´s up?" asked Malia, noticing Scott´s unfocused eyes.

"I just saw Stiles leave with the girl that tossed water at you and a boy" answered Scott.

Lydia frowned "What girl?"

"Just a bitch that was looking for Stiles" replied Malia, not giving the matter any importance.

"Why would he leave with them?" wondered Scott aloud "He still has English Literature"

"You know his timetable?" asked Lydia with a worried and maybe scared look in her face.

"Yeah, and I bet he knows mine, but that´s not the point" answered Scott "I think something weird is going on with him"

"With Stiles?" asked Malia, trying to supress a smile "Come on Scott, Stiles?"

"I know where you´re going but…"

"Do you think what you did back there was the right thing?" interrupted Lydia, her eyes on the parking lot where Stiles usually parked.

Scott took a deep breath "Yeah, that´s the way things have to be"

"But, Scott, the things you said…" replied Lydia, shaking her head "Are you sure it wasn´t your anger talking and not you?"

"Lydia, we had talked about Stiles before that happened" said Scott "It just happened to be an opportune Occasion to let it out"

"Besides, it´s the best for him too, y´know?" interfered Malia "He´s safer this way. He´s too weak to be part of our world"

Scott shook his head. Malia was right. He had done the right thing. It was just a waste of time to think about that. There were more important things he had to worry about.

"Have you found something about the bodies?" he asked the girls, changing the topic.

Lydia shook disappointed her head "Nothing in the bestiary"

"And Deaton?" asked Scott "Does he know something?"

"Nope" answered Malia "Kira and I asked him, he said he had never seen wounds like that before"

"There has to be something…"

"Scott" said Lydia "I think whatever it is, it´s not supernatural"

"What do you mean?" asked Scott, confused "Of course it is! The bite marks and the blood. It all says it was a shape shifter"

"No, think about it" replied Lydia with a firm voice "I didn´t feel anything, you and Malia couldn´t get a scent from the bodies and there´s nothing in the bestiary"

"What are you suggesting?" asked Malia frowning "That it´s a murderer, a _human_?"

"Maybe. I don´t know" said Lydia, shaking her head "There´s just something odd about this. I don´t think we´ll be able to solve this like we´ve always done. I think there´s something… _more_ "


	7. Chapter 7

"Was your dad mad at you?" asked Quinn, breaking the silence in the car "I mean, you know, the night of the attack"

"You mean the night you just disappeared after I had a fight with my best friend?" Stiles asked slightly sharper than he had intended.

"What fight?" asked Arya, turning her head and looking full of curiosity at Quinn.

Stiles´ hands fastened around the steering wheel. He didn´t want to talk about this. Not with them. As many problems that the brotherhood may had brought with its appearance, it still was his adventure. Something Scott hadn´t thrown him out, somewhere he could be Stiles and not just the _useless human._

But talking about how Scott had thrown him out of the pack, would connect his two worlds. The probability of this world to join his real life would increase. That was not what he wanted. But before he could say a word, Quinn was already talking. Really, how much did that boy talk?

"I think, he´s called Scotty" said Quinn "He told Stiles how worried he was and that he was useless and that he didn´t deserve to be part of the pack, whatever that means"

"He´s called Scott" corrected Stiles automatically, his eyes never leaving the road.

"Wasn´t he the one talking behind your back the day I went to your school?" asked Arya.

"Yeah, that´s him. A _great_ friend, don´t you think?" replied Stiles sarcastically "I really don´t want to talk…"

But neither were listening to him anymore. Arya gasped for air and Stiles could see her factions shift, her expression full of repulsiveness.

"And you let him _do_ that?!" she asked shocked "Who does he think he is?"

"Yeah, and why does he say your part of a pack?" added Quinn, then he corrected himself "or _not_ part of the pack? Is he a dog or what?"

Stiles opened his mouth to change the topic. He wouldn´t talk to them about Scott. This was entirely his business and no one else´s. Scott could have been a jerk but he still had been his best friend for a very long time. It wouldn´t be right to talk behind his back just after one disagreement.

But it wasn´t just a disagreement and Stiles knew it. He had argued with Scott in the past but his best friend had never told something so hurting as that night. Scott hadn´t said it because he was angry, he had said what he really thought about his best friend.

Besides, it wasn´t just that one night. His odd behaviour had started months ago. Scott had lied to him all that time, saying everything was all right and that they all were too busy to meet. That was all bullshit. Slowly, the whole pack had pushed him away without him noticing. And now it was too late. They were out of reach.

Yet he had to admit, a comforting warm spread in his chest after hearing what Arya and Quinn had just said. They cared about him although he hadn´t spent much time with them at all. It was like they had just taken him in, without hesitation, like a pack. Stiles shook his head, not like a pack; like a family. A pack was nothing but a lie. At least for a human.

Suddenly, something clicked inside of him. The feeling of loneliness and uselessness disappeared. He had fallen into a deep abyss of self-pity and grudge, but not anymore. He had blamed himself for being thrown out of the pack, but now he noticed he hadn´t done anything wrong. Scott had made that choice and he should live with the consequences, should they come.

He thought he had had no one but that wasn´t true. The two teenagers in his jeep proved that. There were people waiting for him, ready to welcome him. He had avoided them and ran away, afraid to see everything change so suddenly. But now he was ready.

He looked at Arya and then at Quinn. Maybe that´s what he needed, a new beginning.

"What if I told you he was a werewolf?" asked Stiles jokingly.

Of all the reactions Stiles could have expected this was the last one he thought would become true. Arya threw her head back and let out a gust of laughter, hysterical laughter.

"Werewolves do not exist" she said after she had finished, wiping tears out of her eyes.

Stiles looked at her, incredulous and surprised. He couldn´t believe that she didn´t know about the supernatural. After seeing the members of the brotherhood fight demons, he had thought they would obviously be aware of the other special creatures in this world.

Now, _that_ was something he knew and she didn´t. He liked that. "But vampires and demons do?" he asked, smiling.

"Yeah, you saw them!" she answered amused "Werewolves are different, they´re pop-culture stuff, just like the sexy vampires"

"How can you be so sure?" asked Stiles not wanting to let this go.

"Stiles" interfered Quinn from the backseat "I memorized every book about demons and magic in our library and there wasn´t anything about werewolves"

"See?" said Arya, giving Quinn a thankful glare "For once I´ll agree with him and say he´s right"

"I´m always right and you know it" snapped Quinn "Of course I know the Greek myth about Lycaon. He spilled the blood of an innocent baby in Zeus temple and the gods punished him by turning him into a wolf…"

"The _one moment_ we are on the same side and you ruin it"

"I´m just saying" inquired Stiles, interrupting their conversation "I didn´t know there was a thing like the Brotherhood of Pangea, why can´t there be something you don´t know?"

"I can´t believe I´m doing this but; Quinn he´s all yours" said Arya.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles parked his jeep right in the same spot he had two weeks ago. He couldn´t be more glad to finally have arrived. The whole journey he had had to hear Quinn, talking and arguing, saying werewolves were scientifically impossible. Stiles´ head had throbbed, threatening to explode every moment. He had completely got lost after Quinn had brought genetics into his explanation. Stiles knew he was smart, his father and mother had told him so since he was a child. His good grades were also a prove to that. But Quinn was a whole new level. The boy was quite annoying but it had to be said; he was a genius.

One moment he wondered who would win a knowledge match; Lydia or Quinn. That would be an interesting evening.

Stiles sighed and shook that idea away. He got out of his jeep and walked a few steps forward. The camp was a little altered since the last time he had seen it. Well, the last time he had seen it, the camp had just been attacked by giant, fire-spitting demons. That wasn´t quite fair of him.

The tents had the same colours, just like the people. Some noticed his jeep and him but they didn´t give it much importance, walking on after one look. Stiles was thankful for that; he was in no mood to be surrounded by a crowd of people.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Arya, coming up beside him. Her hands were in her pockets, swinging from her heels to her talons.

"I´m thinking about ways of killing you" answered Stiles, suppressing a smile "You have to pay for what you did in the car"

He heard her laugh again. A melodious beautiful laugh. Stiles couldn´t hold back anymore, he looked at her and smiled "I thought we were on the same side"

"We _are_ " she answered "but there is no such thing as werewolves, I had to convince you"

Stiles was about to reply when he saw a figure walking towards them, coming from the only yellow tent in the entire camp. Stiles narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out who that person was. It only took him seconds to recognize him. It was one of the men that had carried Arya away when she had been wounded.

Remembering this, he frowned and looked at Arya "How is your wound? You seem a little _too_ healthy. I mean you´re young but, y´know, you were stabbed, so…"

She placed her hand on his shoulder but her eyes were set on the man coming towards them "I´ll tell you later" she said.

Quinn, who had been standing behind Stiles without him noticing, suddenly ran over to the man and started to talk to him enthusiastically. Stiles saw the man shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He didn´t speak and just kept walking in their direction.

"…still mad about it?" was asking Quinn the moment they were near enough for Stiles to hear them "Look, I know it was an outburst and that it wasn´t…"

The man raised his hand "We´ll talk later. Right know I've got other things to do"

Quinn opened his mouth and made another attempt to talk but he remained unsuccessful. The man arrived in front of Stiles and bowed lightly.

Stiles was puzzled for a moment. He had never seen anyone do that, not before him at least. But his confusion only lasted a moment. This whole situation was strange to him; all these people were. Maybe that was how they greeted each other. How could _he_ know?

The man looked him in the eye and stretched his hand to greet him "It is a pleasure to meet you" he said firmly "I´m Arthur, son of Peyton"

Stiles shook his hand "I´m Stiles" he answered

A small smile appeared on the man´s face "I know" he said "Cedric wants to see you "

 **Teen Wolf**

"Stiles!" said Cedric opening his arms welcomingly "I´m so glad you finally came"

Stiles frowned, confused "What do you mean; "finally"?"

Arya entered the yellow tent behind him "We were waiting for you to come back" she replied "But you didn´t, so…"

"You brought me here?"

"Yep"

"Why didn´t you call me?"

"Without your phone number?"

"What about...?"

Cedric coughed lightly to get their attention "Why don´t you take a seat?" he asked. Then, after looking behind Arya´s shoulder his eyebrows furrowed "Where´s Quinn?"

"Stiles burnt his hand, he had to go to Eustace" Arya answered, walking pass Stiles further into the tent.

Stiles stayed where he was for a moment, not knowing what to do. The tent was bigger than it seemed from the outside.

There was a large table in the centre, surrounded by fancy looking wooden chairs. There were three peoplesitting on them, from which Stiles knew none.

There was an empty seat at the end of the table. That was probably Cedric´s. To his right sat a young adult, certainly not older than Parrish. He was wearing a yellow robe, had copper-skin and blue shining eyes. Opposite to him sat an older woman, grey wisps of hair accompanying her blonde, long mane. She, like Arya, wore a dark purple cloak. Next to her sat another man with orange robes. His skin was as pale as snow, a great contrast to his utterly black hair and beard. The man returned Stiles´ look, raising slightly his eyebrows challengingly.

Stiles quickly moved his eyes away and saw Arya, taking seat next to the young adult. She noticed his glare and moved her head slightly to the right, pointing to the empty chair next to her. Stiles knew she was asking him to sit next to her but suddenly a strange feeling took over him.

The moment he had entered the clearing, he had felt that _energy_ again. That _vividness_ coursing through his veins.

But now it was gone.

He didn´t know how but out of nowhere he felt that warm being torn away from him. There was only cold left; a dark, frightening cold. He wanted to get out of here and…

And sleep.

He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep one moment. To close his eyes and submerge in the waters of nothingness. To just forget the things that had…

A hand was placed on his arm, returning him to reality. He blinked, confused and looked up. Arthur was standing next to him. When had he entered the tent? "Are you alright?" the man asked carefully.

Stiles looked around and noticed that all the eyes were set on him. What had happened? Had he blacked out for a moment? That wasn´t possible. He was still standing.

He shook his head. He had just imagined it; he was sure of it. "I´m fine"

Walking slowly, he reached the chair beside Arya´s and sat down, ignoring the gazes of the others.

Arthur quickly made his way next to the bearded man and sat across Stiles. In seconds Cedric was also sitting on his seat. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward, taking a better look at everyone here.

"I guess we can start with the emergency meeting" he finally said, forcing a smile.

The woman let out a drastic sigh " _Emergency_?" she asked sharply "Two weeks _after_ the emergency?"

The young man spoke; "You know why we had to wait" he had a strong accent, maybe Brazilian or Portuguese, Stiles thought.

"You know it´s not a reasonable explanation" she answered, still angered "Just waiting for a mere _boy_ to- "

"It wasn´t just for the _boy_ " interrupted Cedric looking at Stiles and then back to the woman "Don´t be irrational, Godiva. We had a lot to reorganize before we could talk calmly"

"But you still admit, we were…"

"Enough!" shouted Cedric, suddenly slamming his palm on the table, angered "The meeting had to be postponed, but that doesn´t matter right now"

Silence conquered the room, no one daring to speak after seeing Cedric´s outburst. Stiles looked at Arya, but her gaze was set firmly on Cedric, her body tensed.

"I´m glad we cleared that up" finally said Cedric, lowering his voice again "Quinn, Francis and Arabella haven´t arrived yet but I guess we can start without them."

"As you may have noticed we´ve got a guest" continued Cedric and stretched out his hand, pointing quickly to Stiles "Stiles, son of John. Before we start I think you should introduced yourselves"

No one spoke for one moment. Then, before it could get more awkward the young man coughed. "I´m Rowan, son of Merek and the representative of all the _unseen_ "

Arya leaned her head slightly to Stiles and whispered silently "He´s invisible when he wants to"

Stiles nodded, wanting to tell Arya that he had understood, but Rowan took it as a greeting and nodded back, smiling.

"I´m Godiva, daughter of Isolde" said the old woman suddenly, making Stiles turn his head rapidly "Representative of all the _masters_ "

Stiles nodded again, hoping she would take it as Rowan had. Luckily she did and moved her head slightly forth, her lips pressed to a thin line. Finally, Stiles turned his head to the bearded man, just like everyone.

"I´m Walter, son of Lief" he said with a hoarse, deep voice "Representative of all the _psionics_ "

Stiles nodded, and waited for Arya to tell him what a psionic was. But she didn´t. After seeing Stiles´ nod, Walter didn´t bother to acknowledge it and turned his head away, looking again at Cedric.

It was then that Stiles felt a warm breath next to his ear. It was Arya. "He´s kind of a telepath and a mind reader, I guess" she whispered.

Stiles looked at her and nodded again, thankful. And also a little scared to be in the same place as someone with such abilities. But he had to turn his head in seconds, for Cedric started talking again and Stiles really didn´t want to get to see the _Angry-Cedric_ packet again.

"Good, let us begin" he started "As you know there have been unrests lately concerning the demons. They´ve gone out of control. It seems like they are appearing out of nowhere but as you know, it is impossible, they have to come from the past."

"Which brings me to the thing I want to talk to you…"

Suddenly the curtains of the entranced opened and a young woman came in. She wore a red robe, her hair was the colour of chocolate. She was breathing heavily and seemed very confused.

Looking up, she caught Cedric´s eye "Good, you´re here!" she shouted, smiling "I remembered there was a meeting but not _when_ or _where_. I had to go to every big tent and look for the meeting!"

A giggle came from behind Stiles. He turned around, just like everyone and saw Rowan covering his mouth with his left hand, trying to hide a smile.

The newcomer narrowed her eyebrows, confused "What did I do?"

Rowan shook his head "Nothing" he replied "It´s just so typical of you to do that"

"To do what?"

"To live in your own world and forget everything around you" he answered.

She rolled her eyes and started to examine the room "I do not live in my…" she trailed off the moment her eyes met Stiles. Suddenly worriedness and fright covered her factions. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung open. Everyone looked at her in silence.

After a few seconds, Cedric reacted, noticing that something was wrong "Arabella, what´s wrong?" he asked, standing up.

She shook her head and started whispering untellable words. Walking towards Stiles, she dug her eyes into his.

"Arabella!" repeated Cedric " _Arabella_! _What_ are you doing? _What_ is happening?"

"Is she seeing something?" asked someone.

Stiles got lost in the woman´s eyes, the present becoming blurry. He felt like she was trying to see something, trying to overthrow a wall inside his mind. She got nearer and stopped right in front of him.

"There´s an intruder in him" she said, louder enough for everyone to hear "He´s been intruded. I see it"

"What is she…?" started to ask Stiles, thinking the woman was crazy.

Suddenly, she strode forward and grabbed his wrist. Stiles jumped in his seat and tried to free himself from her grasp. But to no avail.

"Look woman, I respect your Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Doo but this is clearly crossing a…" he said but she wasn´t listening.

"You _have_ to show me" she whispered, nodding "I can help you"

"Arabella, stop it" demanded Godiva, also on her feet " _Talk_ to us. _What_ are you _seeing_?"

Arabella shook her head and kept her eyes fixed on Stiles "You _have_ to tell me" she repeated "I know he is _there_ , causing you pain"

All of a sudden Stiles understood what Arabella meant; she was talking about his nightmares, about the man trying to kill him. His eyes widened. He tried to turn around to tell Arya and Cedric, they could get the woman off him.

But his body refused to move.

His vision darkened slowly, the light in the room becoming dimmer until there was nothing _. Just darkness._

 _A wave of fear ran through his body as he recognised where he was. This wasn´t real, he was still sitting next to Arya, he tried to convince himself. But his own words felt like a lie in his tongue. His attempts to calm himself down only made the panic grow._

 _Suddenly, the deep voice started to laugh._

 _His heart pounded in his chest, he couldn´t breathe. The laughter got louder, uncontrolled, hysterical._

 _Stiles tried to move, to run away. But he couldn´t._

"Stiles!" _shouted a female voice in the back of his mind_ "Stiles! You´re fine, it´s just a…!"

 _But he never heard the end of that sentence. He felt a sudden, immense pain in the back of his head and then he knew no more._

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading!_**

 ** _I´m really glad to see that people are liking the story and reading it! Also thank you a lot for all the commnts, I really, really enjoy reading them and they also motivate me to Keep writing!_**

 ** _I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes and I´d be very thankful if you told me, if you find any. I would also love to know if anyone has tips to improve my writing or something that has to be improved._**

 ** _I know this chapter was rather complicated for all the names and new characters but I hope you´ll Keep reading!_**

 ** _Thank you again for reading and feel free to comment, I love reading the Reviews :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

"Stiles" shouted Arya, looking terrified at him "Stiles! You´re fine, it´s just a vision! It´s an induced vision! Stiles! Wake up! Stiles?"

Arya saw two arms swinging around Arabella´s chest and forcing her back. But the woman grabbed the boy´s wrist so tightly as if her life depended on it. Her eyes had changed from dark brown to light blue, almost white. Arya knew what that mean; she was having a vision. And she was forcing Stiles to have it too.

Finally, the man behind Arabella managed to push her away, fighting her. The woman shook her head and tried to free herself, kicking in the air.

The moment her hand stopped touching Stiles´ skin, the boy stopped shuddering and gasping for air. His eyes fell close and his head fell on the table, him being completely unconscious.

"What the hell have you done?" asked Arya, not caring about the volume of her voice "What did you do to him!?"

Arya didn´t wait one more second, she got on her feet and got right next to Stiles. She placed her fingers on the back of his jaw, checking for any pulse. It seemed like hours but she finally felt it; an unusually fast heartbeat.

She sighed relieved and looked up at Arabella. The woman´s eyes were normal again, she had let herself fall exhausted on Arthur´s chest. For it was him who had forced her to let Stiles go.

"He´s got a pulse" she announced, noticing that Cedric was standing now beside her "Maybe his body rejected the vision and that caused the seizure. But I think he´ll be fine…"

"He won´t" whispered Arabella, getting free from Arthur´s grasp "It wasn´t me. Someone has entered his mind, I _swear_ , I saw it. Something is trying to kill him from the inside"

Arya looked at her puzzled, not knowing what to reply. She had never heard of something like that. Why should Arabella say the truth? That woman was crazy, anyway. Everyone knew that. She looked at Stiles, completely fine on the table. He didn´t seem to be in any immediate danger.

Out of a sudden, Walter gasped for air and stood up, his chair falling to the ground behind him. He leaned forward and looked Arabella in the eyes "You mean someone has used magic to mess with the boy? That someone has entered his mind, his subconscious?"

The woman nodded exaggeratedly and made a step towards Stiles. At this, everyone still sitting got on his feet, worried she would touch him again and induce another vision. Rapidly, Cedric walked around the chair and stood between Stiles and Arabella.

"You have to believe me, I don´t wanna hurt him" claimed Arabella, giving Cedric a pleading stare "But he´s in danger. We have to get that thing out of him"

"She´s right" interrupted Walter "if there really _is_ an intruder, we should try to get him out and _keep_ him there"

Cedric turned around and looked at him, questioningly "What should we do?"

"Get him somewhere he can lay down, Arabella and I will take care of the rest" replied Walter, his eyes focused on Stiles.

Cedric thought about it for a moment. His eyes travelling from Stiles to Arabella, to Walter. Finally, he made up his mind and looked at Arthur "You and Rowan can carry his body to Eustace´s tent, Arabella and Walter; go and prepare whatever you need. We can´t risk to lose _The Swords´ Master;_ he might be the only answer to our problems"

Godiva raised her hand and gasped for air "Are you sure he´s…"

But Cedric did not listen to her, he shook his head and looked at everyone in the tent. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

 **Teen Wolf**

"I heard what happened, will he be alright?" asked Quinn as he got next to Arya.

She was sitting next to the entrance of Eustace´s tent, waiting for someone to come out, for someone to come and tell her that everything would be all right. But no one did, she was stuck there, sitting alone in the dark, not allowed to go in. Not knowing what the _seer_ and the _psionic_ were doing to her friend.

She took a deep breath and raised her shoulders "I don´t know" she answered honestly "They entered almost an hour ago, I have no idea what´s going on"

"If I heard correctly" slowly said Quinn "There´s someone inside his mind? Like literally manipulating his thoughts?"

Arya shook her head. She did not know. She did not _know_. Stiles had seemed perfectly fine in the library, maybe a little tired but…

Her eyes widened as she remembered. Stiles had been so lost in thoughts that he hadn´t heard them come. His eyes had also been surrounded by black holes, big bags beneath them. Now she noticed; there _had been_ something wrong.

She felt a hand on her shoulder "Hey" Quinn said, sitting down next to her "He´ll be fine. I´m sure of it"

"How?"

"Well, it´s him, isn´t it?" replied Quinn "He´s not going to die, at least not like this. You know, he´s still got _a lot_ to do over here"

She looked at Quinn, remembering Cedric´s words "Your father, he said it" she told him "He said Stiles was _The Swords´ Master_ "

"He really does believe that, doesn´t he?" asked Quinn, not being able to hide the mock tone in his voice.

"You still don´t believe it, huh?"

Quinn sighed "It´s nothing against him, it´s just…" he said and moved his hands, drawing little circles in the air, looking for the right words "…I don´t believe in foreseeing the future and _definitely_ not in an ancient writing from an oracle"

Arya wasn´t planning to give in "He´s a _master_ _and_ a _mage_ , _how else_ would you explain that?"

"I´ve been thinking" said Quinn, apparently changing the curse of their conversation "If there is someone in his mind and he has survived ´till now…"

"Yes…?"

"That has to mean that Stiles has fought that someone unconsciously in his mind. Like, I don´t know defending himself, like not letting him take control entirely"

Arya shook her head "That´s not possible" she said determined "Only people with one kind of ability could do that. Only they have the ability to used their minds like that"

"I know"

"You´re saying that he´s not only a _mage_ and a _master_ , but also…"

"Also a _psionic_ " interrupted Quinn.

 **Teen Wolf**

John Stillinski was sitting on a kitchen chair, facing the clock on the wall. 7: 35. Stiles was supposed to be home by now. His son had left no messages in his phone or no little note written chaotically on the table; there was nothing. Nothing that could tell him where his son was.

There wasn´t much he could do right now. The police station wouldn´t offer any help. Almost every officer had been furious two weeks ago when they had searched the entire city for hours looking for his son. After it had turned out he was completely fine, almost everyone had sworn to never look for Stiles again.

He wouldn´t ask Scott for help, either. He had seen how hurt his son had been the last month and it all was because of that boy that had called himself his best friend. The sheriff would definitely not go there, to someone who had hurt his son that much…

But if Stiles didn´t show up, what choice did he have? Stiles was hiding things from him, he knew that. Ever since the night he had had the fight with Scott, Stiles had become quieter and reserved. John remembered the story his son had told him about the vampires and the ninja, but he knew that there was still more to that. Maybe that had something to do with Stiles late arrival the other night? His son had never talked about it or explained why he had arrived home so late. But the sheriff hadn´t pushed him, seeing that his son was in a difficult emotional situation.

Suddenly, something started buzzing in his pocket. His phone. He got it out and saw the best thing he had seen in his life. His son was calling.

The sheriff sliced his thumb and answered the call, relieved to know his son was all right.

But the moment he heard a voice from the other line, his heart sank.

It wasn´t Stiles.

It was a girl.

"Hello?" she asked insecure "Am I talking to Mr Stillinski?"

The sheriff rubbed his forehead with his right hand "Yeah, that´s me" he answered "Listen, kid, why do you have my son´s…?"

"I´m Arya" she interrupted "I´m a friend of your son´s. You may know me as Ninja Girl"

John´s eyes widened in surprise. He had been right. There was more to that Ninja Girl and vampire story, Stiles had gotten himself into a new mess. The pressure on his chest loosened a bit, him knowing what was the reason for Stiles delay. But, why wasn´t he calling himself? Stiles was a good son, whenever he had a secret, he told the sheriff face to face. Not using a girl.

"Where´s my son?" he asked, his tone a little sharper than intended.

"He´s here" she answered "He´s safe with us"

"Us?"

"Me and my… family"

"Why isn´t _he_ on the phone?" the sheriff asked, losing his patience.

Arya sighed "This is a very messy and complicated explanation" she replied "Are you sure you wanna hear it from me and not from your son?"

The sheriff looked at the refrigerator, standing to his right. There was a lot of food in it. A lot of things Stiles had bought or even cooked for him. He smiled thinking about all the things his son did These days. He was a good boy and he deserved a chance to explain himself.

"Why did you call me?" the sheriff finally asked.

"Stiles might be here for a while" she answered. Her voice was a little bit higher, John knew what it meant; she was hiding something "He´s kind of… busy and… well… after how you reacted the last time he was here… I thought you would like to know that he´s completely fine"

 **Teen Wolf**

Cedric watched the unconscious boy laying on one of the many loungers in Eustace´s tent. His chest rose and fell back steadily. The man shook his head, remembering that this boy, that had lead a normal life two months ago, had such big task upon him.

The first time he had read _the writings_ he had been just a child, peeking in his father's papers. Just like any four-year-old boy he had been excited and thrilled after knowing what the future held. _The Swords´ Master_ had been his hero, the person he wanted to know no matter what it took. He had prayed for him to come while he still lived.

But as he got older _the writings_ became what they were; just writings, nothing more. A distant future that he most probably wouldn´t see. Now, sitting on the lounger that stood next to Stiles´, he smiled, still not being able to fully process the irony of the situation.

Walter and Arabella stood on the other side of the lounger with closed eyes, using their power to heal the boy, chanting in foreign languages. Eustace was also in the tent, sitting on his couch next to his cupboard full of chemicals and potions. The man was a great _healer_ but there were some things that just were out of his control. Minds for example.

Eustace´s tent was kind of the infirmary of the barracks and he was their doctor. His tent wasn´t the place he lived in, it was his place to work. There were loungers forming a circle in the tent. The headboards touching the curtains while the ends pointed all towards the centre. Between two loungers was Eustace´s couch and his cupboard.

Cedric looked at Walter. He was supposed to be an expert on the mind. Why hadn´t he seen that something was wrong with Stiles? Was the intruder so powerful to block a fully trained _psionic_? Whoever it was, that person new what Stiles was destined to become and he most certainly wanted to stop him.

Suddenly Walter gasped for air and opened his eyes. He seemed a little confused for a moment but after seconds the same emotionless mask as always decorated his face again. Just when he let himself fall on the lounger behind him, Arabella also opened her eyes.

She was used to leave reality and come back in seconds, she needed no time to recover her composure. She looked at Cedric and smiled "He´s fine" she said "The intruder is gone"

"Can you tell anything about him or her?" asked Cedric getting on his feet "Can you name him or know what kind of creature it is?"

Walter scoffed "You´re lucky we were able to get that thing _out_ "

"What do you mean?"

"It was a kind of spell I´ve never seen" answered Arabella "so powerful and effective. It seems like that someone really wanted to get rid of him"

"Well, let´s see how he´s doing, shan´t we?" asked Eustace, getting on his feet. He strode over to Stiles and looked at the boy for a moment. The _healer_ started to do the same routine he did with all his patients. He took his pulse, checked his breathing, blood pressure and the boy´s temperature.

Finally, he made a step back and looked up "His body is completely fine" he said before looking back down. Cedric had always wondered what it was like to be a physician, to know everything about the human body…

Suddenly Eustace frowned and leaned back forth, his eyes narrowed. He slid his hands beneath Stiles´ neck and examined it, still frowning.

Arabella looked at him worried "What´s wrong?"

Eustace shook his head "He´s covered in bruises" the man said "His entire neck, why didn´t I see it before?"

Cedric got nearer and also leaned down, wanting to take a look at it himself. Eustace was right, the boy´s neck was covered in bruises. They were just little points, some already yellow and some purple. Just like the one´s a sword would leave. "Where could something like…?"

Arabella came up right next to Eustace and took one look at the boy. Suddenly, she looked uo and seemed to think for one moment. The three men watched her silently, noticing that she had something in mind. Finally, she did what no one had expected; she started to unbutton Stiles´ T-shirt.

Cedric´s brows furrowed "What are you…?"

But then he saw it. Stiles´ chest, now completely uncovered, was also full of bruises. Most of them where right in the spot above his heart. Now he was completely sure, it had been a sword wielded by someone trying to kill him.

"It was the same person" he spoke his thoughts aloud "The person in his mind did this to him"

"I don´t want to be disrespectful but those are _real_ injuries" replied Eustace "like, _on_ his _flesh_ , not in his _mind._ Shouldn´t that be impossible?"

"He has to start training now" announced Cedric, ignoring Eustace for a moment "Whoever is trying to kill him will keep trying and he has to be able to defend himself"


	9. Chapter 9

He heard a melodious high pitched voice, singing in the darkness he was swimming in. Notes flew into his ears, awakening in him the wish to follow them, to find their source. He focused on them. Slowly, he recognized what that voice was. It was a violin.

Stiles opened his eyes. Everything was so blurry, he wasn´t able to distinguish anything around him. After blinking several times, he saw something white above him. He turned his head from right to left, trying to remember where he was. But there was nothing.

He was laying on a small bed with purple sheets. He wasn´t able to distinguish a lot around him, just some furniture standing here and there.

Stiles sat up. He didn´t remember seeing this place before. Frowning, he ran his hand through his hair, seeking answers but again; there were none. The same melody that had woken him up returned, but now it was clearer and even more beautiful.

For some reason he felt drawn to the music, it just radiated a feeling of warmth, a feeling of happiness. He got out of the bed, ignoring the coldness coming from grass beneath his feet. Looking around, he was able to make out more details.

There was a nightstand next to the bed and a closet in front of it. But everything was covered by a blanket of darkness, only a beam of light coming from between two curtains. Stiles frowned, was that supposed to be an exit?

He walked towards it, the violin getting louder. After moving the curtains aside and stepping into the light, he found himself in another room, lighted by candles. It was a dining room with a long dark-wooden table, chairs the same colour around it.

Standing next to one chair on the left, Stiles saw the back of a girl, her hair swinging lightly from right to left as she played the violin. Stiles frowned, he had seen that same scene before. That hair and that girl.

He gasped for air, memories rushing back into his mind. Now he remembered; the brotherhood, the masters, Ninja Girl, the meeting and the nightmare.

Arya immediately stopped playing and turned around after hearing something behind her. Her eyes met Stiles and one moment, neither of them said a word. Then, she smiled and placed her violin on the table. "You woke up" she said, still smiling.

"Of course" Stiles answered "I still have to get my revenge, don´t you remember?"

She laughed "You´ll get it" she replied "How do you feel?"

Stiles opened his mouth, a thousand sarcastic replies already in his mind, but suddenly he noticed how _good_ he felt. For entire two weeks he had been mentally and physically exhausted, but now, now he felt like a new-born baby. He hadn´t felt like this in days, heck even _weeks_.

"I feel great" he said, shaking his head "I feel _awesome_ "

Arya pointed with her chin towards the table. "Don´t you want to sit down? You may be weak for a while"

"What happened?"

Arya sighed "There was someone in your mind and Arabella and Walter got him out of there"

Stiles looked at her, not quite understanding what she meant "I don´t get it"

"Remember your nightmares?" she asked, sitting down in front of her violin "Turns out someone was really trying to kill you"

"Why would someone try that?" he asked while taking a seat to her right.

She shrugged "No idea" she answered with a high-pitched voice. She cleared her throat "Arabella and Walter used their abilities to… let´s say cure you. After that Eustace treated your bruises; they´re almost gone. Then I thought you should get some rest in a _real_ bed…"

"Wait, wait, wait" interrupted Stiles, shaking his hands "How long was I unconscious?"

"You lost consciousness on Wednesday, Tuesday you slept the entire day and now it´s Friday since two hours"

"I was out for more than a day!?" asked Stiles, quickly getting on his feet.

Arya looked at him "There´s nothing to worry about" she replied "You were totally exhausted, not only your body but also your mind. That person really messed with you. You just got the sleep you should´ve had"

Stiles shook his head, anxious "No, no you don´t understand" he said, walking in circles "My dad probably searched the whole town and now after not finding me, Scott is most probably also looking for me. They´ll be worried again and I… I don´t want to be a useless burden again, I mean…"

"Stiles…" Arya said standing up but he didn´t listen. She tried again "Stiles, there is really nothing to worry about"

"That´s easy for you to say, you live with thousand ninjas, you all can take of yourselves. But in my life…"

"I called him" she interrupted which only made her gain a confused look from Stiles. She looked him in the eye "I took your phone and called your dad, he knows you´re fine"

Stiles jaw opened. Why would she…? When had she…? What had his father…? He slid his hand in his pocket, looking for his mobile but it wasn´t there. "What did you..."

"I didn´t tell him anything" she answered the unpronounced words "he trusts you and wants to hear the truth from you and not from anyone else. I said you´d be home as soon as you could"

"I… Wow…" he started, not able to form full sentences for a moment "That´s really… thoughtful"

Arya smiled "You´re welcome" she said, while sitting down again "But you have a lot of explaining to do. I don´t think he´s thrilled of the idea of his son hanging out with a vampire killer"

Stiles smiled. No, his dad definitely wasn´t. He could already see how the sheriff would react at this sudden news but he would worry about that when he got there. Now, he was too happy about feeling alive again. He just wanted to enjoy this very moment, without worries.

"So…" said Stiles, leaning his forearms on the back of the chair "You play the violin?"

Arya looked up at him and shook her head "Not really, I just mess with it sometimes" she answered "I was a little worried that you weren´t waking up… so… I decided to distract myself"

"Well, I think you play better than you think"

"Thanks" she answered looking down at her hands. Suddenly she gasped for air "I forgot to tell you, Cedric says you should start to train as soon as possible"

Stiles frowned "To train what?" he asked "My invisible muscles?"

"No, of course not" she answered, rolling her eyes "Your gifts. You´re a _master_ and a _mage_ and you can hardly control your abilities"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott watched the door of the Stillinski´s house, his hands in his pockets, still trying to decide what to do.

He was aware that he knew had no right to be here. Stiles wasn´t his best friend anymore, he wasn´t part of the pack. Their paths had divided and they should stay that way.

But he was worried.

The uneasy feeling had started the moment he saw Stiles getting into the jeep with the two strangers. It had intensified after not seeing Stiles in school the next day and turned into pure paranoia after the boy hadn´t answered his phone. Now, Friday afternoon, Stiles not coming to school he had stooped holding back the panic he felt and driven to his house.

He was sure something bad had happened.

A voice in the back of his mind told him Stiles´ safety wasn´t his problem anymore. That the sheriff´s son had to learn how to live on his own, without having supernatural creatures taking care of him.

But he just wanted to make sure.

He would knock on the door and see if Stiles was home. If he was, great, life could go on. But if he wasn´t…

Suddenla, Scott shook his head. Stiles had to deal with his own problems. Scott wasn´t going to babysit anymore. If Stiles wanted to get into things that were way above his understanding, he would have to learn to deal with them alone.

He turned around and started to walk towards his bike. It wasn´t his business whether Stiles was alive or not, the boy wasn´t part of his pack, he was just human. A human that had thought he could run with wolves.

He reached his bike parked on the side of the rode and was about to put his helmet on when he heard it.

"You can´t say that!" shouted Stiles "You don´t know anything about them!"

Scott frowned, wondering what he was taking about. Stiles almost never yelled, not at his father at least. Whatever was going on, it had to be important. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his hearing. Blocking all his other senses out.

In seconds he started to hear Stiles´ footsteps on the wooden floor. He knew he was walking upside down, like every time he was upset or worried. Scott turned around and walked back the way he had just taken. Just before he reached the door, he turned a bit to the right and went towards the kitchen´s window. He stopped, standing right beneath it.

"What do you want me to say, Stiles?" asked the sheriff, also annoyed "Congratulations for getting into yet another supernatural mess?"

Scott´s eyes widened. Stiles? And supernatural? What was going on?

"It is _not_ supernatural!" replied Stiles "It´s… it´s… It´s _not_ supernatural!"

"Stiles, why can´t you just stay out of trouble?"

"I didn´t get into this willingly!" answered Stiles "It was that stupid vampire! I didn´t go into the woods calling for someone to kill me!"

Scott was now completely lost. Someone had tried to kill Stiles? When? What had happened? How was he still alive? And how had he been attacked by vampires? There was no such thing as vampires.

But…

But that would make perfect sense! The bite marks on the dead bodies and the loss of blood! Why hadn´t he thought about it himself? He had to go ask Deaton, the veterinarian would know what…

Wait.

How did Stiles know? And why hadn´t he told the pack?

"I know" sighed John, finally giving in "I _know_ , son, I know. I just don´t want to see you get hurt"

Hurt? Why would Stiles get hurt? Was he trying to stop the vampires on his one? Scott knew Stiles was a little bit crazy but…, doing that? That was suicide.

"I won´t, dad, I promise" answered Stiles, his voice also calmer "I wouldn´t be alone in this. They´ll help me"

"How do you know you can trust them?" the sheriff asked "You barely know anything about them, they´re total strangers"

"Dad, they saved my life more than once. I think they deserve the benefit of the doubt"

Who were _they_? Scott shook his head. This was way too much for him. Was Stiles getting a new pack? But he knew as an alpha that there weren´t any near. And since when was Stiles the one that trusted people and not the sceptical one? Stiles always was the one that never trusted anyone. When had that changed?

"But what will you _do_ there?" asked the sheriff.

"I dunno" answered Stiles "They´ll teach me how to… y´know… _use_ that _…thing_ … And we can solve the murders with them, they know quite a lot about demons"

"Stiles, you sure you aren´t just imagining it?" asked the sheriff carefully "I mean, you´re my son and I believe you, but the idea of you having ma…"

"I know it sounds crazy" interrupted Stiles, not letting his father finish "But I swear it´s the truth. I mean, all these crazy coincidences around me, that´s the only explanation"

Scott made a step backwards, completely and utterly confused. He had absolutely no idea what Stiles and John were talking about. Who were those people and what were they going to teach Stiles? Stiles had said himself, they weren´t part of the supernatural world. But he had also mentioned vampires and demons. Scott was pretty sure that those creatures pretty much entered into the supernatural category.

A small part of him was hurt. Hurt that Stiles had gotten involved in something so mysterious without telling him. If what he said was true, the murders could have been solved days ago and the endless, tiring research he had made his pack do yesterday had been completely in vain.

And when had Stiles been in danger? According to his words he had been saved by _them_ several times but… from whom? Scott would´ve thought…

He would´ve thought that Stiles would trust him. That Stiles would ask him for help if he really needed someone.

Suddenly it hit him.

He realised what had done that night. He had been so worried that he hadn´t noticed the meaning of his words. Stiles would never trust him again after what he had said. And now that he knew the answers to the killings and was working with someone else, he wasn´t telling him.

Scott shook his head. What had he done? Stiles was human, not a very useful one, but he had been his best friend. Scott had only wanted to keep him safe, to do what he thought would be the best for everyone. He should´ve asked him to leave the pack kindly and staid in contact with him.

Out of a sudden, a loud melody started to come from his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket.

Malia.

"Did you hear that?" he heard Stiles´ voice from inside "I think there´s someone outside…"

Shit. He had to get out of here. Right now.

Using his werewolf strength and velocity, he got on his bike as fast as he could. He didn´t bother to put his helmet on. The werewolf just took off as quickly as possible. Promising himself that he would find out what was going on with Stiles. Even spy on him if it was necessary.

 **Teen Wolf**

"Don't hold it like that!" Arya instructed "you´ll only injure yourself like that. It´s a _sword_ not a _hammer_!"

Stiles groaned in frustration "Do you want a cup of tea, too?" he asked sarcastically "Don´t do _this_ , Stiles! Don´t do _that_ , Stiles! That´s _wrong_ , Stiles! How come you don´t know what a _pommel_ is? It´s _so_ important! Everyone _has_ to know that…"

"Calm down" said Arya, lowering her sword and making a step towards Stiles "I know it´s pretty difficult but you just have to practice!"

"Practice?" repeated Stiles, raising his voice "We´ve been here more than an hour! And I still can´t hold the stupid thing properly!"

Arya sighed and turned her head around, looking into the forest. Stiles knew she was just trying to help but right now he just wanted to scream at someone and let all his frustration out.

They were standing in a large clearing that Stiles had never seen before. Arya and Quinn had brought a large wooden box with them, the content being different kinds of swords. As soon as Stiles had let himself fall on the ground, exhausted after the long walk, Arya had pulled two swords out of the box and handed one over to Stiles.

Quinn had tried to explain what kinds of swords they were and from which epoch they came. The only thing that Stiles had learned was that he was now holding a longsword. It wasn´t a magical one, Arya had explained, the magical one´s were not used for training.

Now, more than an hour had passed and he hadn´t had a chance to wield the sword _once_.

The night of the attack, he had been full of energy and somehow he had known exactly what to do, but now… Now he just felt completely stupid for not being able to hold a sword.

Stiles had thought it would be easy, it would just come back to the strength the sword was wielded with. But now he noticed, this thing was more complicated than it seemed. He envied Kira because she had acquired her abilities without having to practise.

He looked at Arya, who had rammed her sword on the ground and was waiting for him with her arms crossed "Ready to try again?"

"I just feel stupid doing this" he said but started to get into the position Arya and Quinn had taught him "It´s like trying ballet. The _first position_ and the _second position_. Every muscle had to be tensed rightly. Bla, bla, bla…"

He made a step forward with his left feet and bounced lightly on his knees. His right hand wrapped around the guard while his left closed around the pommel. He raised his sword getting on one of the positions Arya had taught him. He honestly didn´t remembered any names but Arya didn´t need to know that.

Arya circled around him, examining every position of every muscle in his body. Stiles knew she would find something, by now he had discovered that it was _impossible_ to hold a sword perfectly.

"That´s not _that_ bad" said Quinn, sitting on a tree trunk a few meters to his right.

A warm feeling formed in Stiles chest. Pride. He had done it. Finally. Maybe this wasn´t as hard as…

Stiles saw something grey flying towards him out of the corner of his eye. Without even thinking about it, he raised his sword above his head, parring the blow. His entire body tensed and suddenly he felt something changing inside of him. The all too familiar energy returned. Him feeling how his muscles got stronger and his senses brighter.

He heard water slashing on rocks in a stream nearby, the howl of the wind, the silent songs birds sang. Everything became clear and full of life. He looked up. Arya was standing before him, her sword meeting his in the air. A smile spread across her face "Well done"

Before Stiles could even flinch, she made a step back and manoeuvred her sword, drawing circles in the air with it, just by twisting her wrist.

"What the _hell_ was that?" asked Stiles "You could´ve _killed_ me!"

She smiled "I haven´t even begun"

Out of a sudden, she leaped forward and swung her sword from right to left, aiming for Stiles left shoulder. But Stiles had enough time to react, he dodged and stepped aside.

"Good" said Arya, stopping her sword in the middle of the blow and changing its course. Stiles frowned. How could she do that? "But I want you to fight!"

She attempted the same as before, swinging her sword. Stiles managed to make a step back and avoid being cut in half. This time she did not give him a break, immediately she tried again, swinging the weapon one more time. Stiles dodged.

"Don´t let a girl beat you, Stiles!" shouted Quinn, obviously amused "Be a man!"

Stiles wanted to retort something sarcastic. Like the fact that the boy was just sitting there, doing nothing. But he didn´t have time to at least open his mouth before Arya lunched forward, attacking.

This time Stiles had no time to react; Arya was moving too fast. He made sure he was standing on the right position and raised his sword horizontally.

The two blades met, creating a high-pitched metallic sound. A wave of power coursed through Stiles, encouraging him to _fight_ her, to _give his best_.

Arya smiled "That´s what I´m talking about" she said and attacked again.

Stiles fastened his grip around the sword and parried as good as he could, twisting both of his arms.

Arya raised her sword and wielded it once more, seeming completely relaxed. Stiles, on the other hand, was trying to think and move as fast as possible, not knowing exactly what to do.

The two swords met again.

"Use the leverage you have!" advised Arya whilst attacking "Your hands aren´t positioned together for no reason!"

Stiles followed her instructions as he parried the next blow. And surprisingly, it worked. It seemed easier.

"Move your feet" continued Arya, before drawing an arch with her sword in front of Stiles "Use your entire body! Sword fighting is not about strength and stability, it´s about technique, agility and flexibility!"

Following her words, Stiles slowly recovered the control over the situation. Just like the night in the woods he noticed a certain rhythm behind each blow, a certain pattern. But this time he wasn´t an outsider just watching. Now he was in it. He was truly fighting with a sword.

At first he only focused on stopping Arya´s blows and thrusts. With each blow he learned something new, his body absorbed the knowledge without him really noticing. Soon, he started to attack himself, trying to keep in mind every tip Arya gave him during the fight.

She kept shouting things like "Don´t expose your knee!" or "You have to attack fast and then get out of my range!"

Finally, when his t-shirt was soaked with sweat, his muscles felt heavy and his breathing was out of control, he got distracted. In a matter of seconds Arya parried his blow above her head and moving as fast as wind she used the force of Stiles´ blow, drawing a circle with her wrist. Before Stiles even saw it coming, his sword flew away from his hands, leaving him completely exposed without a weapon.

Arya lowered her sword, a big smile on her face "That was pretty good" she said, also breathing heavily "You did the right thing. _Always_ trust your instincts in a swordfight"

Stiles leaned on his knees, exhausted "I didn´t… I didn´t think… it would be… that hard"

"But you were awesome" replied Quinn, walking towards them "You´ll learn pretty fast at this pace"

"I just wanted to test your reflexes and instincts" said Arya, throwing her sword into the wooden box "I think it was enough for today but we´ve still got a lot of techniques and theory you must learn"

"I must learn…" wondered Stiles aloud " _why_ must I learn it?"

Quinn and Arya exchanged a nervous glance. "You burnt my hand" was the only thing Quinn said.

"Yeah, but, that has nothing to do with…"

"You have to learn how to control your abilities" she said with a higher voice than usual. She cleared her throat "It´s just that"

"You´re also an unofficial member of the brotherhood" added Quinn "Just by having a gift… or two gifts. That means you have to be one of us…"

"But why do I have _two_ gifts?" asked Stiles, finally daring to ask the questions that he had been asking himself so many times "You said it was really rare"

"Have you ever noticed something weird about Marissa?" asked Quinn, seemingly changing the topic of conversation "Like her hair?"

"Not particularly…"

"It changes colour" Arya answered for him "Sometimes she has blonde hair, sometimes red, even black"

Stiles shook his head "I have no idea where you´re going with this"

Quinn sighed "Marissa´s mother was a mage, her father a master. She´s a master but kinda inherited magic abilities"

"Like her hair" added Arya.

"You´re saying I´m a mutation?" asked Stiles "Like Wolverine? Magneto? Spider Man?"

"We don´t know what you are" replied Arya "We can write down our theories later, but I think you should go home and get some rest right now"

Stiles frowned "Why?"

"Because Cedric said he would start to train with you this evening" Quinn answered "And if you thought this was hard, you can´t _imagine_ what Cedric´s lesson will be like"


	10. Chapter 10

Laying on his bed, his hands beneath his head, Stiles observed the blue ceiling above him. Exhausted, he remembered the events of this evening. The moment Quinn had said Cedric´s lesson would be hard; he had prepared himself for some hard word. Physical hard work.

A few hours later he had noticed how dumb his assumptions had been. He wasn´t going to train his body, he was going to train his magical abilities. And those were two completely different Things.

Stiles sighed before the _mage_ ´s lesson started to play in his mind once more.

 _He had met Cedric in the forest. After they had greeted each other, Cedric didn´t bother to look for a clearing like Arya and Quinn had done. He sat down, right next to a tree and asked Stiles to do the same. It was then that Stiles started to notice that this evening wasn´t going to be as he had imagined._

 _Stiles sat down in front of Cedric, staying quite for a moment._

" _What do you know about magic?"finally asked Cedric._

 _Stiles shrugged "What Hollywood has taught me" he answered "Although, there´s always a different explanation, you know? Like Harry Potter has wand and Gandalf has a staff. Not to mention Luke Skywalker. I think the force is also some kind of…"_

" _Thinking about this twice, why don´t you let me start?" interrupted Cedric. He took a deep breath "Magic can´t be described with one word or in one sentence. It is something you simply recognize"_

 _Stiles raised an eyebrow "Well, it´s not very difficult to know that a lightning coming out of a hand is magic. That´s_ pretty easy _to recognize"_

" _But that´s just one form of magic" replied Cedric "Once you are able to feel it, you´ll know how to bend it to your will and turn it into whatever form you want"_

" _How do I_ feel _it exactly?" asked Stiles "Is it like a beam of energy? Or more like electricity? How can I feel it when I have no idea_ what _or_ where _it is?_

 _Cedric smiled "That´s what I´ll teach you today"_

" _Now, I want you to close your eyes" Cedric instructed and waited until Stiles did what he had asked._

 _Stiles felt silly doing that. What was he supposed to feel? That word bothered him the most. Feel. It was such an abstract word. How would he know when he felt it? What if he just imagined it? But after taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes._

" _Good" he heard Cedric´s voice "Now, tell me what I´m holding in my right hand"_

 _Stiles frowned "You aren´t holding anything. I just saw you"_

" _You´re assuming that" answered Cedric "You´re not_ feeling _it"_

 _Stiles rolled his eyes behind his lids and shook his head "How am I supposed to…?"_

" _Concentrate" instructed Cedric "Forget about all your physical senses and try to feel outside of this dimension"_

" _Where am I? The_ matrix _?" asked Stiles sarcastically, thinking Cedric´s request was absurd. There was no other dimension._

 _He heard Cedric take a deep breath "I have no idea what that is" he said "But you have to accept that there is more in this world. That´s what makes us special, what gives us our gifts, we can interact with that alternate dimension. Normal people can´t. You have to dare this step, Stiles; you have to believe"_

 _Stiles sighed. Cedric was crazy, this whole thing was completely illogical. There existed no other reality, the world had only three dimensions, that was what science said._

 _But science also said werewolves and banshees didn´t exist and yet he knew better. He remembered the first time he had talked to Cedric; he had felt so small after discovering that there was something more, another side of the supernatural world. But he had accepted it, it hadn´t been hard for him after all the creatures he had encountered. But this wasn´t supernatural, all of this somehow functioned because of a fourth dimension. It was something completely new, just like the night Scott had been bitten. Now, if he had believed Scott was a werewolf, why not believe this?_

 _Stiles took a deep breath and concentrated. First, nothing happened, the only thing in his mind was the echo of his heartbeat and breathing. But he tried harder, he tried to ignore everything around him and sought something else, something that felt different._

 _And then it happened._

 _First it was cold like splashing into cold water. Slowly the sensations got sharper, easier to distinguish. Stiles felt a whole new world around him, currents of energy flowing in every direction. An organized chaos. A chaotic order. It felt like smelling a thousand roses without needing a nose. Like seeing the most beautiful rainbow without needing eyes. Like hearing the most emotional music without needing ears. Only_ feeling _everything. Just floating in it._

 _It was amazing._

 _And there were no words to describe it._

 _Suddenly he noticed an irregularity in the dimension, something that felt… not natural. He tried to focus on it, but it slipped through his fingers each time he tried._

 _The thing started to stretch towards him, helping him, its energy getting nearer. Stiles tried one more time. He focused_

 _Out of a sudden, the temperature of his body rose. Getting so hot that it hurt. He was burning. Stiles jumped in his seat, panicking, trying to escape from that thing._

 _With an incredible fast heartbeat and burning lungs, Stiles opened his eyes._

 _Right in front of him sat Cedric. A ball of fire floating above his extended palm._

 _The man smiled "You felt it"_

" _That hurt!" answered Stiles "Why did you do that? No one said training with you involved burning me!"_

" _I didn´t expect you to be that good the first time" Cedric replied, the fire disappearing "Most students only feel that there´s something but not what it is"_

" _Well, I felt you were trying to kill me"_

 _Cedric ignored his comment and leaned forward, suddenly utterly serious "But now you know what magic is, don´t you?" he asked "The energy, the colours you feel but can´t see. That´s magic"_

 _And that left Stiles speechless._

But that hadn´t been all. The lesson had continued. Cedric asking Stiles to close his eyes and _feel_. He asked him to feel the different states of magic. How it could flow like a stream or just float like air.

Stiles learnt a lot. Magic was totally not what Hollywood had taught him. It was something outside of this world, something unexplainable. And he was one of the few people that connected his reality with magic.

We´re the bridge, had said Cedric, we are the translators. We are the doors magic takes to come to escape ist dimension. That gives us the power to direct it, to command it where to go.

In the next two hours Stiles had been not only able to feel magic in its dimension but also to use it to feel things in his own world. He could close his eyes and, using magic, feel where objects and living beings were. He could feel when someone nearby was also using magic, like Cedric with the fire.

But Quinn had been right. Sword fighting had been physically exhausting, but Cedric´s lesson… It hadn´t been bad at first but after time had passed, the whole thing had drained him from all his energy. And somehow he knew that Cedric was choosing the hardest tasks, only accepting perfection. If Stiles failed once, he had to try again and again until he did it.

By the end of the lesson, he had just wanted to go home and lay on his bed. Sleeping didn´t come into his mind, he was too tired to do even that. Cedric had seen his exhaustion and ended the lesson. Saying he would await Stiles tomorrow same time and same place to continue.

And the best part? Quinn and Arya had said exactly the same.

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott watched Stiles sitting two desks before him. He knew the sheriff´s son was paying no attention to Coach. Stiles´ gaze was lost outside of the window. Scott had noticed something different about Stiles the moment the human entered the classroom.

Stiles wasn´t sad anymore, Scott could smell it. His scent was different but Scott couldn´t exactly tell why. It was the first time he stumbled upon that scent. Maybe it was Stiles´ new pack, the one he had talked with the sheriff about.

Scott shook his head. That was not it. It didn´t smell like a werewolf, nor like any supernatural creature. His scent was still human but it was… different.

Suddenly, he saw Stiles close his eyes. Frowning, he moved his head slightly to the right, trying to get a better look. It didn´t seem like Stiles was tired or trying to sleep. On the contrary; it seemed like he was totally concentrated on something, like he was lost somewhere else.

Scott had never seen him like that before. Stiles was hyperactive; he did not close his eyes and concentrate on something. That was impossible for him.

Apparently, he wasn´t the only one to notice Stiles´ odd behaviour.

"Stillinski?!" asked Coach, walking past the first two rows to get next to Stiles "Eyes on the board! It´s no sleep time!"

But Stiles didn´t stir. His eyes stayed closed, not a single muscle in his body moved.

Coach took a deep breath "You can´t fool me" he said "I know you´re listening. If you don´t stop it, I´ll give you detention"

Stiles stayed right in the same position. Not moving a single centimetre. The whole class was now watching in silence. As far as Scott knew, there had never happened something like this.

"Stillinski, I´ll give you five seconds!" Coach said. Scott could have sworn he heard insecurity in his voice "This is no joke, Stillinski, I´ll make you run until your legs fall off!"

But again, no reaction.

Scott frowned, Stiles would never do something like that. There was something wrong. Slowly, he stood up and walked to Stiles´ seat.

"Mr McCall, go back to your seat!" instructed Coach the moment he saw him.

Scott shook his head "There´s something wrong with him, Coach!" he replied pointing to Stiles "He isn´t faking it"

"Nice try, McCall" laughed Coach "Now get back to your seat before I give you detention, too!"

"Eh… Mr. Finnstock?" asked a girl sitting in front of Stiles "I think McCall is right. There´s something wrong with him"

Scott used the distraction and got next to Stiles. He was almost completely petrified, only his chest moved as he breathed in and out. His eyes were closed, his face emotionless.

The werewolf felt the eyes of the entire class set on him. Even Coach had decided to shut up.

Slowly, Scott placed his hand on Stiles´ shoulder and shook it.

Suddenly, Stiles gasped for air and something fell to the ground behind Scott, both events at the same time, making the whole class jump in their seats. Stiles´ eyes flew open. Scared, he looked around him, noticing that everyone was looking at him.

And at Greenberg.

Because it had been his books falling to the ground that had caused the other sound.

Coach looked at his most hated pupil "Don´t be a girl, Greenberg" he said "He just breathed in, no need to throw things"

Greenberg shook determined his head "No, Coach, it wasn´t me!" he replied "I wasn´t touching them…"

"Do you believe in ghosts?" asked Coach "Because there´s no other way…"

"No, but I swear, they mo…"

"Shut it, Greenberg!" interrupted Coach "Shut it and pick them up!"

Scott turned his head away from the show behind him and looked at Stiles. He seemed completely terrified, his eyes set on Greenberg. Like he knew something that no one else did.

"Is everything all right?" he asked him quietly to not get any attention.

Stiles´ eyes travelled from Greenberg to Scott. The terror turned into confusion and then anger.

"I´m fine, I don´t _need_ your help" he replied, shaking Scott´s hand off "It was just…"

"Stillinski" said suddenly Coach "What the hell was that?"

Stiles looked at him and shook his head "Nothing, Coach" he answered "Just a headache, nothing serious"

Scott frowned. Stiles´ heart beat faster for a second; he was lying. But why should he?

"I think McCall should take you to the nurse" said Coach "McCall, you heard that? Take…"

Stiles quickly stuffed all his belongings in his bag and stood up "I… I can go by myself. There´s… there´s no need for Scott to leave class...I… really"

And with those words he ran out of the classroom, everyone staring after him. Scott stayed where he was for a moment, too stunned to move. Then slowly, he walked back to his seat.

He´d find out what was going on with Stiles.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles walked as fast as he could without awakening the appearance he was running. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his heart beating fast. Why had he done that? Coach´s class had been so boring and the outside so appealing…

He had just wanted to take a quick look. Thinking it would only take him a few seconds, Stiles had decided to see how the magic dimension felt like outside of the forest. How humans felt when he concentrated on them.

But it had taken longer than he thought.

For him it had just been seconds, less than a minute. But apparently, for all his class, it had been long enough to get their attention. He had had no idea what had been happening until someone shook his shoulder, tearing him away from the magic dimension.

It had taken him by such a big surprise that a small part of him had reacted without him really noticing. It had grabbed hold of something, trying to keep him safe. But it hadn´t worked; he had taken that thing back to reality with him. Somehow he had created a gap, making magic able to flow out into his world, moing something. It had been Greenberg´s books. He had made them fall, moving them with magic.

Now Stiles was walking in circles through the whole school. He wasn´t going to go to the nurse, there was nothing wrong with him. Well, aside from all his sore musles because of the training but that was completely normal now.

He could just hope that no one would suspect anything. Especially Scott.

Stiles kept walking through the halls, ignoring the bell and all the students coming out of their classes. He had never moved something without touching it, Cedric hadn´t taught him how to bend magic yet, he had just taught him how to feel its different forms and how to use it to feel other things. But using it to move things?

Nope.

Stiles kept going, his head low, trying to calm himself down. But just before he turned around a corner, he heard Scott´s worried voice.

"I don´t know" he was saying "But we have to find him. I think there´s something off about this"

Stiles heard footsteps: all coming in his direction. He turned around and started walking back, looking for someplace he could hide. He didn´t want to encounter the pack.

Something inside of him just... said no. His palms started to sweat and his heart to beat even faster. He wasn´t going to meet them. It just… it just… reminded him of that night. The words Scott had said. He was a burden, he was useless.

He couldn't stand the idea of having to say something to them now that he knew what they thought.

Suddenly he noticed what the feeling in his chest was.

He was scared. He was afraid they´d say the same Scott had said. They would definitely think that. How could Stiles look at them when he knew that he was nothing but a worthless human in their eyes?

He found an open door to his right and got into the classroom, right before the whole pack turned around the corner.

"I´ve got his scent!" announced Liam "He was here, not long ago"

"Scott, are you sure you´re not being a little paranoid?" asked Kira.

"No, I know something´s wrong" replied Scott "I just want to talk to him, nothing more. He won´t be part of the pack again. I just want to make sure he isn´t doing anything stupid"

Their voices came nearer. Stiles closed his eyes and held his breath, hoping they´d just walk past the door.

One moment he thought it was happening. The voices became quieter and the steps seemed to walk away from him. Stiles sighed, relieved, he didn´t have…

"I lost his scent" suddenly said Liam "It was right here and then it just vanished"

"That´s impossible, Liam" replied Malia "It can´t just vanish, let´s just go back and find it again"

Stiles opened his eyes. That was not good. They were going to find him and they would want to know what had happened in Economy class. And they´d probably ask why he was hiding, too.

He had to do something. They were coming nearer, again.

An idea occurred to him.

Stiles closed his eyes and tried to feel the magic around him. And faster than he had expected, he did. The pack was now only meters away from the door. He had to hurry.

He tried to remember how it had felt to move Greenberg´s books. It wasn´t just _feeling_ magic like he had practised the last two days, he had to somehow _grab_ _hold_ of something. He had to _do_ something with the magic around him.

I can do this, he told himself, I just have to concentrate.

And he did.

He focused on one particular point and tried to move the magic towards it, forcing it to flow in that direction. First, it disobeyed, ignoring his commands.

But Stiles didn´t give in.

He was the gate. He had the power to direct the magic. Clenching his fists, he tried again, commanding the magic into one spot and forcing it to leave its dimension.

And in that second, outside of the classroom, above the heads of the pack and right beneath the fire detector formed a tiny fireball, so small and so quick that no one noticed.

But it was enough.

The alarm started pounding.

"What the…?!" shouted Scott above the sound.

"It´s the fire alarm!" replied Lydia, also shouting "Something´s on fire!"

Stiles heard the echoes of thousand steps through the hallways. Paranoid voices filled the hall, the whole school evacuating the building. Stiles knew; outside of this classroom was pure chaos.

"What about Stiles?" asked Scott from the other side of the door "He has to be somewhere around…"

"We can look for him later!" replied Kira "If we don´t go out, we´ll get in a lot of trouble!"

"Come on, Scott!" said Liam "We´ll look for him later!"

Stiles saw Scott´s shadow beneath the door, not moving for a moment. Then, after a few seconds, the werewolf sighed and started to walk away, the pack behind him.

Stiles waited one more minute behind the door. Only when he was sure that there was no one waiting on the other side, he got out and walked as quickly as possible towards the exit.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter and keep reading! I apologize again for any grammar or spelling mistakes! As always I´d be very grateful if you tell me if you find a mistake.**

 **Thank you again for reading, it´s just awesome to see how many people actually read this. It´s just... wow!**

 **If you have the time and if you´d like, please comment! I would love to know what you think about the plot and what you think will happeen! Or how I can improve my writing. Please? One comment? You´d make my ?**

 **Also a big hug and thank you for all the people who have commented! It´s just like a bomb of happiness when I read them and it motivates me to keep writing!** **Thank you again for reading! I´ll update soon!**

 **Melpomene :)**


	11. Chapter 11

The next month was totally exhausting for Stiles. He trained with Arya, Quinn and Cedric almost every hour of his weekends. While he learned new fighting techniques with Arya and Quinn, learning to use different kinds of swords, Cedric made him try a lot of different things. Starting with creating fire and moving things to creating electricity and lightnings.

During week days he focused on school and research. More bodies appeared; the victims randomly picked at random locations. Six more bodies were found but only two of them had been killed by vampires. The other one´s had completely different wounds, making it easy to guess that another demon had done the job.

Stiles and his father worked together on the cases, trying to figure out what was happening but they hadn´t had any luck yet. Cedric and all the representatives of the brotherhood also tried to help but they were as lost as Stiles.

In fact, their problems were far bigger. The demons were getting out of control, increasing incredibly their numbers. Despite all the creatures that had been killed the night of the attack, the patrols that guarded the woods had to be doubled.

No one said anything to Stiles, but he heard the members whispering, scared and unsure of what would happen. Cedric had said nothing like this had ever happened before. There had to be a person involved, that this couldn´t be doing of the demons alone. Someone was helping them.

Stiles trained as hard as he could, motivated by the desire to help the members and stop the demons from killing innocent people. He noticed how some members looked at him. Not as distant as they had treated him the first days but there still was something that made them uncomfortable in his presence. And though Stiles really wanted to know what it was, no one would tell him.

Another thing he had been busy doing, was running away from the pack. For a reason unknown to him, they had started to look for him. Apparently, Scott wanted to talk to him. But it wasn´t to apologize, Stiles knew that. He had heard the werewolf himself, they wouldn´t welcome Stiles again. The alpha just wanted to make sure he wasn´t doing anything stupid.

Stiles knew that he wasn´t useless. Scott and the pack had misjudged him and his abilities. Now, after having found somewhere he really belonged to, Stiles started feeling better with himself. His head was not emptied from doubts and guilt but they became easier to ignore.

But for some reason, he couldn´t imagine talking to the pack. Each time he thought about it, his palms started to sweat and his heart to speed up. He was scared to talk to them. And he didn´t really know why. It just made him feel unease, uncomfortable. Looking them in the eye, knowing he was valueless for them.

That´s why he spent a lot of time hiding from them. After the second week, Scott started to give in, realizing that Stiles had no interest in talking to him. The pack started to leave him alone again, giving up on a conversation with him. But Stiles sometimes saw them, standing in the shadows, observing him.

In spite of all of this, Stiles started to feel alive again. Loneliness and tiredness almost disappearing from his life. Between training, research and school time seemed to fly.

But one Friday night, soon after school, Stiles got a call from Arya, inviting him to a pizza place in the shopping centre. Stiles frowned at this unusual behaviour, a little sceptical. Finally, he shook his head. He deserved a break, a little peace after so much training. One evening out with his friends wouldn´t harm him. He wrote a crappy note for his dad, telling him he had left spaghetti in the fridge and that he´d come home early before taking his jacket and heading towards the shopping centre.

 **Teen Wolf**

"You´re saying I´ll need go through a passing ceremony?" asked Stiles incredulous "Like Alex in Madagascar 2?"

Quinn rolled his eyes "No, you have to go through _two_ ceremonies. You´re a _master_ and a _mage_ , remember?"

Stiles ignored his comment and turned his head to Arya "You´re saying I´ll have to go through a ceremony?" he repeated, pretending Quinn hadn´t spoken "Like Alex in Madagascar 2?"

Arya laughed "Yes, you´ll even have to paint your face with tribal colours"

Stiles´ eyes widened "If you are trying to fool me, I _swear_ I´ll…"

Quinn sighed and crossed his arms "If you hadn´t ignored me, I would have explained everything _without_ fooling you"

"So, it´s a joke?" Stiles asked, not giving in.

Arya smiled at him and leaned back on her chair "Of course it is!" she said "It´s not even a real ceremony! You´ll just have to fight Marissa and defeat her. It´s just to make you an official member"

"Why is it that you tell me this now?" asked Stiles "You couldn´t have told me like _weeks ago_ when I started training? Wait, I get it. You had to take the _one_ moment I had allowed myself to relax. You had to ruin it, I get it"

Quinn took a bite from his pizza "Why do you think we came here?" he asked after swallowing "My father hates to spend money. We used this news as an excuse to get out of the barracks"

"You live _without_ spending any money?" Stiles asked.

Arya raised her eyebrows "Stiles, we live in the middle of the forest and have almost no contact to the outside world, _how_ can that surprise you?"

"You´re right, I forgot you´re hippies"

Quinn took a deep breath "How many times do I have to tell you? A hi…"

Arya put her bottle of water on the table "Listen Stiles, it´s no big deal. You just have to kick her butt"

"Yes and she won´t kick _my_ butt, right?" replied Stiles "I mean, Marissa has been training her _whole_ _life_ and I started to train like what? A _month_ ago? A _month and a half_? I´ll _totally_ win"

Arya looked him in the eye "I know you can do it" she said "And when you´re through with it, you´ll get a pretty uniform and your own sword. See? No down side"

Stiles sighed, he didn´t like the idea of fighting someone to be officially named _master_ or _mage_. He felt it would be like a being circus bear, just entertainment for others.

Arya noticed his silence "We´ve still got time to train" she said "Cedric just wanted us to tell you now to give you enough time to prepare"

Quinn smiled at him "Don´t let that ruin our day" he added "We´ve got fun things to do today"

"Please, don´t say train" asked Stiles "We´ve been training every weekend. I´m _not_ going to give my Friday up"

"No, but we have to get some things _to_ train" said Arya enthusiastically "You can handle swords pretty well by now. I think it´s time to take the next step; Half-swording!"

Stiles faked a knowing nod "Of course, half-swording, I _knew_ it!"

Quinn glanced at him "You have no idea what half-swording is, do you?"

"What gave you that idea?"

Arya took a deep breath "It´s a technique used when facing someone who is fully armed" she explained "In such a case, you have to attack the gaps in their armour. But you have to be extremely precise. Holding the sword by the hilt is too… let´s say not precise. That´s why you grab the end of the blade with your left hand and use only the point of the sword to attack"

"Again; what?"

Arya sighed "We have to get you leather gloves" she said "Else, you´ll cut the palm of your hand while we practise"

 **Teen Wolf**

"What about this one?" asked Lydia, looking at the mirror in the changing room "Do you think that´s my colour?"

Malia rolled her eyes, sitting on the chair next to the mirror and eating chips "Lydia, all the dresses you´ve tried on look good. Can you _please_ choose one?"

Kira, sitting on the floor next to Malia, looked at Lydia "I liked the second one better"

"That´s why I liked being a coyote" said Malia to herself "No clothes to worry about"

Lydia rolled her eyes, going again into the cabin "That´s something you still have to learn; how to dress properly"

Malia looked down at her ripped jeans and her leather jacket. She liked her clothes, dresses were not practical to wear. Especially not for a werecoyote.

Suddenly, someone screamed outside of the shop. Malia automatically got on her feet and strode to the exit of the dressing room, quickly followed by Kira. They found a complete chaos. People were running out of the shop, some of them even screaming.

Lydia quickly came at their side, now dressed with her normal clothes. The three girls watched the scene in front of them, paralyzed for a moment. Finally, Kira grabbed the arm of one blonde woman and stopped her from running, pulling her aside from the stream of people. The woman looked at her with eyes full of panic.

"What´s happening?" asked the kitsune.

The woman shook her head "It´s a terrorist attack!" she shouted "People started shouting and now there was an explosion! We´ve got to run!"

And with those words, she shook out of Kira´s grip and kept running. Malia looked at Lydia "You think it´s a terrorist attack?"

Lydia shook her head "In this town?" she asked "Of course not, there´s something more"

"Let´s go" said Kira, who had already removed her belt and turned it into a sword.

But when they got out of the shop, they found something they hadn´t expected. There were only few people left, running towards the exit. The halls were full of dust, making it impossible to see further than a few metres away.

But that was no issue for Malia and her enhanced senses. Her eyes widened as she noticed that the right side of the mall didn´t exist anymore. There were only debris and shrub left. Someone had blown that part up.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles was waiting in line to pay for some black leather gloves when he suddenly found himself flying off his feet by an immense force. Everything around him turned grey, making it impossible to distinguish anything around him.

His back fell hard against the floor, pain exploding in his body while black dots blurred his vision. Slowly, he started to perceive the world around him again. People were screaming and running.

Ignoring the pain, Stiles got on his feet, looking around and trying to find out what had happened. People ran by his sides, pushing him, eager to get out.

Suddenly, Stiles´ eyes widened. There was no ceiling above him. He was standing in ruins. Someone had blown the shopping centre up.

Stiles knew he wouldn´t find answers just by observing things. He would just see chaos, panic and debris. He had to resort to unusual methods. He didn´t need to close his eyes anymore. After practising week after week, he was able to reach the magic dimension in seconds.

Once he found himself again in the alternate magic dimension, he felt how bad the damage was. One entire half of the shopping centre was destroyed, the other intact. People were running all around, looking for exits and ways to save their lives. Fortunately, he didn´t feel anyone buried beneath the ruins.

Something he had never felt before caught Stiles´ attention. It was a figure, not human, flying in the air, observing the chaos beneath it. It seemed to come form that dimension, only projecting a small part of itself in the normal world.

Stiles felt one familiar person coming towards him. He cut his union with the magic and looked around, expecting to see her by his side every minute.

In seconds, Arya appeared out of the dust, running towards him. She stopped only when she was standing right in front of him.

"Hurt?" she asked, breathing heavily.

Stiles shook his head "No time for that" he answered "What the hell is happening?"

"No idea" she replied "But it isn´t anything good"

Arya leaned down and pulled one thing out of each of her boots. Long, shiny objects. Daggers.

She handed one over to Stiles "It´s not a sword but it´ll do the job"

Stiles looked at the dagger for one second, not helping to ask himself why she had two daggers hidden in her boots. But there was no time for that. They had to find Quinn and see what was going on. He closed his hand around the hilt and slid it between his belt and his trousers, ready to be pulled out in seconds.

Arya did the same "We need to find Quinn" she said "Once, we find him, we can look for the attacker. I´m sure it´s a demon"

A scream echoed through the air. It was easy to identify. It belonged to a boy. Then, soon after, Stiles heard something howl threateningly. In a matter of seconds, it turned into a hiss.

Arya took his hand and started to run towards the scream. Stiles ran by her side, jumping over rocks and fallen furniture. He didn´t let go of Ninja Girl´s hand, knowing that if he did, they would lose each other in the chaos. Less people remained here, most of them had already managed to leave the building. Nonetheless, there were still a few people, looking for friends or relatives, running in circles.

A sound became louder after each step. Stiles was sure it was someone crying. And soon he found out who it was.

A boy, not older than nine years, was sitting on the ground, his face covered by dirt. His eyes were wide and set on something to his left. Stiles turned his head, trying to figure out what made the child go into such a state.

It was Quinn.

Quinn fighting a flying, bird-like woman. It was a demon; Stiles knew it the moment he saw it. With the head of a woman, a feather-covered human chest and two enormous red wings, the thing tried to defend itself against Quinn´s dagger.

Arya quickly ran over to help Quinn, attacking bird-woman from the back. Stiles was already making a step forward to help them when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

Another bird-woman, a blue one, was getting near to the boy threateningly. Stiles knew the look in her eyes, it was just like the vampire had looked at him that night so long ago. That creature was going to kill the boy.

Stiles did the first thing that came into his mind. After so many weeks of training, his gifts had already become part of his instincts. Something he used without having to focus.

Stiles raised his arm and let a wave of magic out. It passed dimensions quickly and flew towards the blue bird-woman. In seconds, she was flying in the air, kicking and waving her arms, trying to regain control over her body. But Stiles´ magic had pushed her hard enough. She would keep flying in the direction he had sent her for at least a few seconds.

Without losing one more moment, Stiles ran over to the boy as fast as he could. He was looking at him wide-eyed. His eyes jumping from Stiles´ hand to his face.

After getting to his side, Stiles pulled the boy back to his feet. "Run!" he commanded "Run somewhere safe, we´ll take care of them"

But the boy didn´t move, he kept looking at Stiles "Are you some kind of alien?"

Stiles sighed frustrated. He had to go join Arya and Quinn but he couldn´t leave the boy standing alone where the demons could target him easily.

"No, I´m human" answered Stiles impatiently "Look, you need to go away! I have to go help…"

He was cut off by a sudden, immense pain in his upper-back. Something sharp slashed through his t-shirt, cutting his skin, leaving deep gashes behind. Stiles hissed in pain and turned around. Another bird-woman was standing behind him. Her hand still raised with bloodied claws. Stiles´ blood.

"Where´s my sister, _master_?" asked the green bird "You thought by getting rid of her, I wouldn´t attack you?"

Stiles extended his arm to his side, pushing the boy behind him. Both stumbled backwards as the demon got nearer.

Every movement caused a wave of pain in Stiles´ body, but he forced himself to stay upright, to not let his legs crumble beneath him. He pulled the dagger out of his belt. Energy started to course through his veins, giving him strength and speed. Stiles felt again how his senses got sharper. His entire body yelled at him to attack the bird-woman.

Stiles decided to use the one moment of strength he had left and jumped forward as fast as he could, raising his dagger, attacking. The demon parried his blow with the claws of one hand and tried to reach Stiles´stomach with the other hand. But Stiles had foreseen it and quickly jumped back, getting out of her range.

The bird looked at him for a moment before faking an attack to his chest and suddenly changing the direction of her claws, aiming for Stiles´ leg. Stiles had almost no time to react, he raised his dagger and drew a horizontal arch, forcing her to make a step backwards.

This time Stiles didn´t give her time to react, as quickly as possible, he threw the dagger, aiming for and hitting her chest. The creature stumbled back, her feathered hands closing around the hilt.

"That was awesome!" said the boy behind Stiles "You _sure_ you´re not an alien? Like superman?"

Stiles was about to turn around and tell the boy to run for his life and forget about the damn aliens when he heard something metallic rebounding on the floor. Quickly, he looked down. His dagger.

His eyes wondered back up. The bird-woman was still standing there, blood dripping from a hole in her chest. She noticed Stiles surprise "You, foolish _master_!" she laughed "You have to be touching the thing to kill me, it doesn´t reach my dimension otherwise!"

Stiles made a step backwards, trying to think hard about what to do. The moment the dagger had left his hands, the energy had started to vanish, leaving him again enduring the pain of his hurt back with almost no strengh.

He made a step back only to hit something small behind him. Stiles looked back. It was the boy. Why hadn´t he moved back with him? One look at the panicked eyes of the boy gave him the answer. Standing further behind him stood the blue bird-woman, with an evil smile on her face. They were cornered, having nowhere to go.

"Nowhere to run, little _fool_ " sang the blue bird "Do you want it quick or _slow_ and _painful_?"

The boy next to Stiles started to shake and tears to stream down his face. Stiles turned 90 degrees to his right and raised his arms; each palm facing a demon.

He sighed "Last time I tried this I put Cedric´s cloak on fire" he mumbled to himself "But I guess I have no other choice"

He focused hard and tried to push his fear back. Just enough to reach his magic. It was harder with the pain there, distracting him, but soon he felt the currents of energy around him. Trying to stay calm, Stiles´ tried to form the energy into something new. Something fast and bright. Something incredibly tiny and incredibly dangerous.

Finally, he felt the energy breaking into his world, following his orders. In that moment two lightnings flew out of his hands. One from each palm and each hitting one bird-woman. Both looked shocked for a moment, before falling to their knees and disappearing.

Something shrieked behind Stiles "It´s him!" shouted another bird-woman "We found him! Let´s get him!"

It pointed towards Stiles enthusiastically. But nothing happened. After noticing no reaction from her sisters, the bird-woman looked around her. She was the only one left. Quinn and Arya had killed another two. The creature snarled and looked at Stiles "This isn´t over! I´ll come back for you!"

The woman flew away, her wings carrying her through the winds. Stiles looked after her, wanting to know what she had meant. This wasn´t the first time someone said something like that. There was something he didn´t know about this…

He felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. Quinn looked at him, his eyes wide "What the hell happened to you?" he asked "What happened to your back?"

"It was a bird-woman. She was trying to attack a boy" he answered "It´s nothing"

"Stiles, that´s _not_ nothing" Quinn replied "You have to get that treated, _now_ "

Arya suddenly appeared by Quinn´s side, her dagger in her hand "I think we´ve cleared the area but I bet there are still…"

She was interrupted by a police siren, coming from far away. She looked at Quinn and Stiles with wide eyes "Shit!" she cursed "We have to get out of here"

"And let them see us running away?" he asked "That´s too risky. We have to hide"

Quinn and Arya looked at him, surprised for a moment. Stiles had plenty of experience with cops, he knew exactly what to do. But they hardly left the woods. The outside world was an unexplored haven for them.

Quinn nodded slowly "You´re right" he said "But first…"

He bent down and started to look for something below the shrub. Stiles and Arya watched silently, having no idea what he was doing. Finally, Quinn found what he was looking for. He held a red scarf and a black winter-jacket in his hands. He plucked the labels and threw them aside. Finally, he gave Arya the jacket and unfolded the scarf.

"We have to improvise a bandage" he explained, making a step towards Stiles "I don´t know how bad the wound is but it has to stop bleeding"

Arya´s eyes widened "You got hurt?" she asked Stiles.

Quinn started to wrap the scarf around Stiles´ chest and back, applying pressure to make sure it was tight enough to stop the bleeding. Stiles closed his eyes, trying to escape the pain this caused. He bit his lower lip until Quinn finally finished. The boy made a knot with the ends and took a step back. He took the jacket from Arya´s hands and helped Stiles to put it on.

Although Stiles would never admit it, he was glad Quinn helped him. He wasn´t entirely sure if he would have managed to do it alone. His back hurt quite a lot.

After the job was done, Quinn stepped back and looked at Arya and then at Stiles "Now we can hide"

 **Teen Wolf**

Malia got at the edge of the shrub almost at the same time the police did. She halted and looked at the fallen ceilings and walls, searching for a hint to what had happened. But there was no one in sight. She sniffed the air but there was too much dust, making it impossible to get any clear scent.

Suddenly a green-dressed person appeared at her side. Malia spun around, ready to attack. But after seeing the familiar face, she sighed relieved.

It was Jordan Parrish.

"Did you see what happened?" he asked. His gun laid in his hands, lowered but ready to be used quickly nonetheless.

"No, just heard screams" answered Malia, shaking her head "I was on the other side of the mall"

"You think it has something to do with…?"

"Yes" replied Malia without needing to hear the end of the sentence "The murders and then this? Definitely not human"

Kira and then Lydia joined them, both breathing heavily. Running had been no problem for Malia but Kira and Lydia didn´t have her speed. Looking around, Malia noticed that there were a lot of cops walking through the shrub, looking for people beneath them or the person who had caused it.

Out of a sudden a small figure came running towards them, waving his hands above his head to get the attention of the policemen. Malia narrowed her eyes. It was a boy.

A dark-haired policemen ran over to the little boy. Malia expected to see the boy shaking and crying, calling for his mum.

But that was completely not the case.

The boy was talking quickly to the cop, pointing behind him repetitively. After taking a quick look at her friends, Malia noticed that they, too, were astonished by the kid´s behaviour.

"What is he saying?" asked Parrish, glancing at Malia.

The werecoyote did not reply but she focused on her hearing, trying to make out what the boy was so excited about.

"…then there came this… this… _teen_. He raised his hand and then… _BUM_ … the monster was thrown back! It flew _meters_ back! And, and, and _then_! I asked the superhuman boy if he was an alien, because… well, he _has_ to be an alien, right? He had _superpowers_! But another monster, also a bird, attacked him! He got hurt and… and I _saw_ the blood but he… He _didn´t care_ about it! He turned around and pulled a mini-sword out of his belt! He moved like a Jedi! The thing _attacked_ and then he _attacked_ and then the thing attacked _again_! And then he threw his mini-sword! It hit the thing _right_ in the chest, like in movies! But it didn´t die and he had _nothing_ to defend us with! Then another bird-woman appeared _behind_ us! I thought we were going to die! But… but then…, and that´s the best part! _Lightnings_ came out of his hands, like _whash_! And then they disappeared like _whush_! Oh, oh, _oh_ and _then_ another bird wanted to attack him! But it ran away, frightened by his mighty power! It was awesome! We have a new superhero in town! A real one! And _then_ …!"

The sheriff quickly ran over to the boy, he had apparently been listening. He rested his hand on the black-haired man´s shoulder who was completely speechless. He had tried to stop the kid from talking during his speech, but the boy just kept talking. Now after seeing the sheriff´s arrival the boy shut up and looked up at both of the men.

"I got this" said the sheriff to his colleague "Go with Parsons and look for trapped people"

The black-haired man nodded and quickly started to walk away, not needing more motivation to leave the crazy kid.

The sheriff squatted down and placed one of his hands on the boy´s shoulder.

The boy looked at his feet "You don´t believe me, do you?" he asked sad "I _swear_ , he was _there_ … he was…"

The sheriff shook his head "I believe you" he answered "Now, why don´t you tell me what happened next?"

"Another superhero came, the one from the beginning and… and then a superwoman also came. They had all mini-swords. And then they wanted to go away but they heard the police coming and they said: _Oh_ , we have to hide! And I don´t know _where_ they are. But… but if you find them, you _have_ to believe me, they´re the _good_ _guys_! The bad guys already left! I can´t understand why they don´t want to be seen, I mean, they _saved_ me! They deserve credit, they deserve to be honoured like Superman or Batman!"

The sheriff smiled at the boy "I´ll tell you a secret, little one" he said "They don´t want honour. Superheroes always try to help people, not gain fame"

"But I _really_ want to talk to him…" the boy interrupted "I really, _really_ want to know who he is! Can´t you _look_ for him?"

The sheriff shook his head "I already know who he is" the sheriff answered "But you have to be careful. They can only help us if we don´t say anything to anyone. Can you do that? Not tell anyone about what happened today?"

The boy nodded rapidly "Yes, yes! I´ll _help_ a superhero!"

The sheriff pulled a little notebook out of his pocket and also a pen. He looked at the boy "Now, why don´t you tell me your name? And the phone number of your house?"

Malia frowned and stopped listening. She didn´t care about the boy. What interested her was that mysterious superhero he talked about. Had she been a normal girl, she would have thought the boy had hallucinated the entire story. But she was no normal girl. She knew the boy was probably saying the truth.

"Well, what did he say?" asked Lydia staring at Malia.

"Something crazy" answered the werecoyote "He was attacked by a bird-like monster and a teen superhero with a mini-sword saved him"

Kira frowned "A _mini-sword_?" she asked "And a _superhero_? That´s probably a lie"

Lydia looked at her and raised an eyebrow "You have a _Japanese sword_ and your boyfriend is a _werewolf_ "

"What else did he say?" asked Parrish, crossing his arms.

Malia shook her head "I´d rather tell the whole pack. I don´t want to repeat everything more than once" she replied " _If_ the boy is not lying"

"I don´t think he was" suddenly said Parrish and leaned down, picking something a few meters behind him up. It was a dagger, it´s blade tainted with blood. He showed it to the three girls.

"There´s your mini-sword" he said.

Lydia took the dagger in her hands and inspected it carefully. She noticed something engraved on the blade; _BoP_.

"We have to ask Scott to meet us at Deaton´s" she replied "There´s clearly something going on"

"There´s another thing I should mention" suddenly said Malia "The sheriff said he knew who the superhero was"

* * *

Thanks for reading!

I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! It turned out to be a bit longer than I thought. :)

I´d really like to know how you prefer chapters. For example short chapters with 2000-3000 words or longer chapters with 3000-5000 words? Because I theoretically can make two chapters out of one or one out of two, depending on what you prefer :) I had this dilema whilst writing this chapter but I hope you don´t mind if it is a bit longer.

Thank you again for reading! And a big hug and thank you to the rewievers! It is makes me extremely happy to read them and know that People actually like it. I would love to Reply to your comments but I honestla don´t know how.

I´ve read fanfiction for a looong time but I didn´t have an account. It wasn´t until I decided to write my own fanfic that I created a user name. So I´m pretty new here and am still figuring Things out. So, if you could tell me how to answer the reviews, that´d be really nice of you and I would be very thankful!

As always, sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes and I´d love it if you told me if you find any.

If you have time and you´d like, please comment. It brings me an incredible happiness each time I read them!

I can only repeat myself and say thank you again.

Melpomene :)


	12. Chapter 12

The man wearing a black cloak waited for his servants to come back with good news. His face was hidden by his hood and his body by dark cloth. No one would recognize him even if that someone stood in front of him.

That was good. He had to keep his identity hidden.

At least for now.

Finally, his plans had taken a step further.

It would happen soon.

But he should not rush things. There was still a problem. Someone who was still standing in his way.

The _boy_.

Or how the stupid brotherhood called him; _The Swords´ Master_.

The man observed the green landscape of the woods below him, standing on a hill, only a tree by his side. The boy would die soon, leaving no one able to stop him. The prophecy of the oracle had not been fulfilled yet. There was still hope for the man.

But he had to be careful. Decades of planning would be ruined if he made one wrong decision. He had almost been caught a month ago. In one moment of foolishness, he had underestimated the _seer´s_ abilities, believing no one would notice his little parasite in the boy´s brain. If he had had a few more nights, he would have succeeded. The boy would have died, if not in his sleep, from exhaustion.

But he shouldn´t stay caught up in the past.

Time advanced, just like his plans.

Hopefully, everything had happened as planned and there was no more life coursing through the boy´s veins.

A dark figure appeared in the skies, flying towards him. The man frowned. Why was it alone? There were supposed to be five of them carrying a dead body.

But the body wasn´t there.

The half-human, half-bird demon landed, and immediatly fell to its knees before him, its head humbly lowered.

"I see your kind has failed me once more" stated the man, letting contempt slide into his tone.

The harpy shook its head "He´s getting stronger" it answered "And he´s got those two _masters_ by his side"

" _Masters_?!" asked the man furiously "Those are _nothing_ more than _children_! You ought to have _defeated_ them!"

The harpy shook its trembling head "I apologize, milord" it answered with frightened voice "We didn´t intend to disappoint you"

The man sighed "Stand and tell me what happened"

It did as told and got on its feet but its head stayed lowered. Looking the man in the eyes was something his servants knew to avoid.

"We surprised him as intended" explained the demon "But his abilities are greater than we thought, he killed two of us and his friends another two. I wanted to attack him, but, milord, he would have defeated me and I didn´t want to leave you without tidings"

The man´s body shook in anger "That´s all that _mage´s_ fault, _Cedric_ " said the man to himself, spitting the last word as if it were trash "He wanted to train the boy himself to keep his progress hidden, he knows I´m planning something"

"But, milord, how will you kill the boy?" asked the harpy.

The man laughed and looked up at the sky "I´ll try a different approach" he replied "We can´t assess the boy´s abilities but there´s one thing we still haven´t tried"

"What is it, milord? What can I do to help you?"

"Nothing" he answered "Your kind have disappointed me enough. I´ll take care of the boy myself"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott watched the dagger laying on the vet´s metallic table. Deaton had cleaned the blade with alcohol the moment Lydia had given it to him. He said the inscription could give them a hint regarding the owner.

But those three letters, _BoP_ , had never been seen before by any member of the pack.

Malia had just ended telling the whole pack what the little boy had said. They all stood surrounding the table silently, the dagger in front of them.

"Lightnings came out of his hands?" asked Kira, breaking the silence "What if it´s some kind of kitsune? Like me?"

Liam slowly nodded "It makes sense, you´ve got a sword and the superhero a dagger, aside from the superpowers"

Lydia shook her head and curled a strand of hair around her finger "That´s a bollock dagger. They were used during the late middle ages in Europe, mostly England. Later, in Victorian times, it became known as kidney dagger, because of its shape. That´s not Japanese _at all_ "

Everyone looked at her with wide eyes and open jaws. After a moment, Lydia noticed the silence and looked at the faces of her friends, completly indifferent and calm.

She shrugged "I read"

"That´s something!" suddenly said Scott as an idea came to his mind "That means it has to belong to a shapeshifter with European origins! We can start with that!"

"I don´t think we´re talking about a shapeshifter" interrupted Malia, making a step forward and taking the dagger in her hands "The kid didn´t say anything about glowing eyes or a change in the appearance of the hero"

"Then _what_ is it?" asked Liam with crossed arms "It has to be _something_. And that something is able to stop the thing killing innocent people"

Liam was right. If what the boy had said was true, there was somebody able to kill that strange creature. This would take the investigation of the bodies far further. If they managed to find that person who could kill those kind of demons...

Demons.

Suddenly, Scott´s eyes widened "Demons and vampires!" he said, looking from one pack member to another, enlightened "Like Stiles said, that superhero was fighting a demon! And he is one of the people I heard Stiles talking about!"

Lydia gasped for air, also realizing something "That´s why the sheriff said he knew the superhero!"

"But why would Stiles know them?" asked Malia, playing with the dagger in her hands "Why should they come to him and not us? We are able to help, he´s not"

"Because they saved him!" replied Liam "Scott told us Stiles said they had saved his life! That´s how he met them!"

"But why should they stay in contact with him?" asked Malia again, not giving in "He can´t do anything to help, he´ll just…"

"What did the boy say?" suddenly interrupted Deaton, closing his forefinger and thumb around his chin thoughtfully "What did the superhero _do_? Exactly"

Malia looked at him surprised, just like the other members of the pack. They hadn´t noticed Deaton´s silence. But now, out of a sudden, they realized he hadn´t spoken for quite a while, being lost in thoughts.

Malia opened her mouth slowly "He… er..." she started "He raised his hand and the demon was thrown back and then… then he fought with the dagger and he got wounded but kept fighting… and then came the two lightnings out of his hands"

Deaton nodded, his brows furrowed. The whole pack knew he was thinking hard, looking for answers in the supernatural encyclopaedia that was his mind.

"Do you know what it was?" asked Scott slowly, daring to interrupt the vet´s thoughts.

Deaton looked at him "I´ve got an idea" he answered "Something Thalia mentioned once or twice but I can´t be entirely sure"

"What is it?" asked Malia brashly.

The doctor shook his head "I´m not sure" he replied "Thalia never explained anything. It´s some kind of human pack but they like to stay hidden. I honestly don´t know more than that"

"And they have superpowers?" questioned Liam surprised.

"I don´t know" repeated the veterinarian "Thalia said they had something, some kind of `gifts´ but nothing further"

"Kinda mysterious, these folks" commented Kira, looking down at her feet.

"They are" responded Deaton "I´ll have to call somebody to get extra information but I can´t make any promises"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles clenched his teeth and tried to hold back the pain in his back.

"Almost done" spoke Eustace behind him "Man, these are some nasty cuts, how did you get them again?"

Arya, sitting on the lounger in front of the one Stiles sat, replied: "It was a harpy. It attacked him from the back"

Stiles felt the cold fingers of the _healer_ rubbing some kind of ointment on his three gashes. It hurt each time the man touched his skin, no matter how lightly.

"Well, it´s nothing I can´t heal" said Eustace "Your bandage was pretty good, Quinn. Maybe you could come by and let me give you some lessons"

Quinn, standing next to the entrance with crossed arms, frowned "I´m not a _healer_ "

"But you can learn some basics, nonetheless" replied Eustace "Make yourself usefull now; why don´t you get me some bandages from the cupboard over there?"

Quinn seemed a bit surprised. Stiles knew the boy was not particularly liked because of his constant science-loving comments. Having someone invite him to learn something new or simply being there and help was quite exciting for the boy.

Suddenly he realized that the pain was gone. Eustace wasn´t touching his wounds anymore. His back felt kind of numb, tingling. He tried to turn his head and see what the _healer_ had done but the only thing he was able to see was his bare back covered in a greenish salve mixed with red. His blood.

"They always look worse than they really are" said Eustace, noticing Stiles´ surprised look.

"What is that?" asked Stiles, his eyes still on his back "I feel _nothing_. The pain´s gone"

Eustace chuckled "I´m a great _healer_ , am I not?" he asked smiling "I made it myself, boy. I´ve also got my gifts"

Quinn finally came nearer, handing some white bandages over Stiles´ head to Eustace. The healer gave him a thankful nod and took them.

"Wait!" said suddenly Stiles, remembering how Melissa treated wounds like this "What about stiches?"

Arya smiled at him "Nah, we don´t need them. Eustace´s magic will heal you soon enough"

Stiles frowned, remembering the first time he had come to the barracks "That´s how you healed so quickly, right?" he asked Arya "When you appeared in front of my jeep and wanted me to bring you here"

"Right again, genius"

Eustace started to bandage him up, similar to the way Quinn had done it a few hours ago before they had hidden behind a car standing near the entrance of the shopping-centre. But Eustace´s bandage was far tighter and more comfortable. Stiles was also wearing no shirt now, compared to the jacket he had worn in the mall.

Finally, Eustace ended his job and made a step backwards, rubbing his hands together "Done" he said and came over in front of Stiles "In a week you´ll have no reminder of the wound, well, maybe scars, but almost invisible"

Stiles looked up at him "Thanks"

A wide smile spread across the man´s face "Glad I could help" replied Eustace "Now, I have to go get Cedric, I´m sure he is anxious to know what happened"

The healer walked to the exit of his tent but halted before exiting. He turned back and looked at the three teenagers "You should stay here for a while. Stiles needs some rest for the potion to take effect" he said and then looked directly at Stiles "Maybe you can stay here for the night. Just to make sure. Try to lay down on your stomach"

And with those words he left the tent. It was dark outside by now. Stiles had no idea what time it was but surely after 8 pm. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. After so many weeks of training, he had finally had his first battle. The first time he really had had the necessity to use his gifts. And he had done it. He had fought and killed two harpies (Quinn had told him everything about them by now) and he had saved a kid.

Suddenly something started to buzz in his pocket. He got the phone out of his pants, slowly, trying not to disturb his wounds and bandages. He looked at the screensaver.

His dad.

Stiles slid his thumb on the screen and brought the phone to his right ear. He felt Arya and Quinn´s stare on him, both _masters_ knowing who was calling and expecting to hear some family quarrel.

"Hello?" asked Stiles on the phone.

" _Please_ , tell me it wasn´t you at the mall" replied his father without greeting his son "Tell me you weren´t the alien the little boy keeps talking about"

"You want me to lie or…?"

The sheriff sighed frustrated "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" replied Stiles immediately "There was just this explosion and then that harpy was attacking the boy and Arya had given me a dagger and I couldn´t let the boy…"

"Wait, wait, wait" interrupted the sheriff "A _harpy_? A _dagger_? Stiles, you have a lot of explaining to do…"

"I know, dad, I know" he answered. Then he remembered Eustace´s words and mentally cursed the _healer_ "Uhm…, listen dad…, I think maybe I should..., maybe ahm… stay here at Arya´s. I´ll come home first thing in the…"

"You just got some wounds treated, am I right?" asked the sheriff, his voice completely calm.

Stiles´ mouth hung open "Uh… Yeah… How… How do you know?"

"The little boy told me everything" replied his dad "He says you and your friends are superheroes"

"Well, seems like I don´t have to explain anymore. See? Everything fine"

His dad sighed on the end of the line "Is it bad?"

"Nah, just a scratch. Like a cat´s" he replied "Nothing to worry about"

"I´ll take a good look at it when you come home and decide myself" responded the sheriff "Be careful, son and stay out of trouble, at least for the night"

"Yeah, dad, no worry, I´ll manage to stay alive"

"Stay safe, son"

"Night, dad"

Stiles hung up and looked at Arya and Quinn. "I´m allowed to stay the night" he said "Wanna have a pyjama-party?"

Arya rolled her eyes "You need to sleep"

"But we can talk about our crushes and giggle"

"It´s not funny. You got injured, that´s no joke"

"You sound like my dad"

Quinn frowned and smiled "Not like your mum?"

Arya gave Quinn a reproaching look, clearly telling him to shut up. But the damage had already been done. Stiles eyes became dull and a blanket of sadness covered his features.

"My mum died when I was a kid" he said "She had dementia and, well, you know…"

"I´m really sorry Stiles, I didn´t mean to…"

"It wasn´t your fault" replied Stiles, shaking his head and forcing a smile "You didn´t know"

They stayed a few moments in silence, sitting in front of each other, no one daring to speak. Finally, Stiles looked up at Arya, determined to bring back the good mood.

"You never really explained why you scratched my jeep" he said.

Quinn looked at Arya and raised an eyebrow "I thought it only worked on humans"

"Cars work too" she answered smiling "I really didn´t know by then but…"

"What doesn´t work on humans?" interrupted Stiles "Scratching jeeps? Humans? No relation. Am I missing something?"

Arya shook her head "You remember my sword, Joyeuse, don´t you?" she asked. After Stiles nodded, she continued "It´s one of the four magical swords; Joyeuse, Curtana, Durendal and Excalibur. You´ve probably heard about them"

"Yes, no, no and yes" answered Stiles "But why only four? Is not every sword in this camp magical? What about Quinn´s sword?"

"It´s a normal sword" answered Quinn "But it becomes magical when I touch it"

Stiles eyes widened "The harpy said something like that" he told them "That I had to be touching the dagger to kill her"

"That´s right" replied Arya "Whenever you touch a sword it is able to penetrate the magic dimension. Energy then flows through the bade into your body, giving you speed and agility to fight. I´m sure you´ve felt it"

"Well…, yeah…, I thought it was adrenaline" answered Stiles thoughtfully "But, again; magical swords?"

Quinn took a deep breath "Those swords have magic on their own without needing a _master_ " he told Stiles "Legend says they were forged with steel that came from the very heart of the continent Pangea. That gave them unique magical abilities, like Joyeuse glows whenever it is touched by a _master_ "

"Joyeuse also establishes a kind of bond between the wielder and the person that has been wounded" added Arya "I tried the same technique with your jeep. By scratching it, I became able to feel where it is. That´s how I found you"

"You used a sword to stalk me?" asked Stiles smiling "Haven´t heard that one before"

"I didn´t stalk…" she trailed off, shaking her head before talking again "It is also said that there´s a small amount of that steel left, only enough to forge one more sword. But there´s only one person destined to have it and that´s a whole other story I´ll tell you some other time"

Stiles frowned "Where are the other swords?"

"They are inherited from father to son or daughter. We have no way of knowing which brotherhood-member in what part of the world they belong to" answered Quinn.

"But that means that you must have gotten your sword from your father" said Stiles looking at Arya "And he from his father, and then from her mother, and the…"

"Until you reach Charles the Great" interrupted Arya smiling "He was the first owner of the sword"

Stiles´eyes widened "Wow, you´re his… from… wow" he managed to get out "How should I call you; Arya the Great?"

But Arya the Great never had the chance to answer because in that moment a teen, maybe 16 or 17, entered the tent, looking down at his hand. He wasn´t wearing a robe or cloak like most members did in the camp. Instead, the black-haired boy had normal clothes on, just like Stiles.

"Eustace, my little sister tried to wield her knife again and…" he said, still looking at his hand, Stiles now noticed the drops of blood dripping from his palm.

But he shut up after looking up and seeing the three teenagers sitting alone in the tent. He looked around, seeking for Eustace, but the _healer_ wasn´t there.

"Uh…, hi…" said the boy nervously "Is… is Eustace here? I didn´t mean to interrupt anything…"

"You didn´t!" said Quinn immediately, his eyes wide "We were just talking! You can come and sit with us…, only if you want of course…, _and_ wait for Eustace, he just went to get Cedric because of the attack at the shopping-mall. Have you heard of it? It was a hydra, wait…, _no_ …, a _harpy_ , yes a _harpy_ , well, five of them…"

Stiles looked at Arya and raised questioningly his eyebrows. Was Quinn nervous? He had never seen him like that, talking even faster than usual and mistaking words. Arya just smiled and shrugged lightly, only Stiles noticing. They both knew what was going on.

The boy smiled at Quinn "Great, I´ll wait for him"

Arya rapidly got on her feet and pointed towards the boy "Stiles, this is Benedict, son of Walter. And Benedict, this is Stiles, son of John"

Benedict looked at Stiles "Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you too" replied Stiles "You´re Walter´s son? Are you a _psionic_ too?"

Just in the moment the last word left his mouth, he knew he had done something wrong. Arya shook her head lightly and formed indecsipherable words with her lips. Quinn played with his fingers, clearly more nervous. Benedict on the other hand, lowered his head again and, a sad smile drawn on his face, looked down at his wounded hand.

"Sadly, not" answered Benedict, still avoiding eye contact "For some reason I was born without a connection to the magical world and, well… I´m the only ungifted person here… so…"

Quinn quickly got on his feet "But I still think you´re great" he said. Then his eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. Blushing, the boy continued talking "I mean… WE think you´re great, right guys? Not _me, me,_ but _we_. No, wait…! It´s… it´s not that I think you´re not great, I _do_. But not that kind of great, the other great…"

Benedict looked up and smiled at Quinn confused "Thanks?" He looked at Stiles and frowned "What happened to you?"

Stiles tried to shrug his shoulders but a wave of pain accompanied his moves. Clenching his teeth, he closed his eyes and waited for the pain to stop. After a few seconds when the pain was gone, he looked at Benedict "A harpy attacked the shopping centre"

"And you tried to stop it?" asked Benedict, sitting down next to Quinn who had also let himself fall on the lounger behind him.

"Kind of" answered Stiles "I really wasn´t planning to fight it to death or something"

Benedict nodded slowly but didn´t reply. Stiles could guess that this was a quite uncomfortable topic for him, to talk about demons and fights when he wasn´t part of it. An awkward silence formed in the tent, no one really knowing what to say.

After a few minutes, Benedict got on his feet "I think I should go, Eustace has certainly important things to do and I can put a bandage on myself" he said, raising his hand a little to show them the wound "I better get going"

"I´m sure Eustace won´t mind…" started Quinn.

"No, really" interrupted Benedict "I should leave. But it was great talking to you and of course meeting you, Stiles"

He waved his unhurt hand quickly and headed towards the open curtains. Just like Eustace, he left the tent, leaving the three masters alone again.

Stiles looked at Quinn and smiled soarly "Sure you don´t want a pyjama-party to talk about our crushes?"

Quinn gave him a warning glare "Don´t even go there" he said "That´s none of your business"

 **Teen Wolf**

Alan Deaton held his phone on his hand, the phone number already in his head ready to be dialled. But, starring at the screen, he doubted whether he was doing the right thing. He remembered Thalia´s words, so long ago, years before the fire.

" _Our worlds can´t meet each other"_ she had said _"We are too similar and yet too different. That would only cause war. And we wouldn´t win"_

Deaton had trusted Thalia with his life. He had known the alpha always did the wisest and safest thing for her pack and had thus not spoken a word about the magical people. For years he had ignored them, almost forgetting their existence.

If he called the only person that knew something about them, he would risk to make the two separate worlds collide. Thalia had done everything in her power to avoid that, just like the leader of the other side at that time, Leobrick.

But this was an emergency. As Scott´s emissary it was his duty to do everything he could to help the pack.

The pack that was utterly lost and had no idea how to stop the killings. The pack that was slowly becoming unconfident and weak after not finding any answers for months.

He had to do it.

Besides, if Scott was right and Stiles really knew the magical people, the worlds had already met and it was just a matter of time for chaos to explode.

The veterinarian shook his head and pressed the numbers in his mobile until the phone number was complete. He pressed the green dial and brought the phone up to his ear.

 _Beep_

He waited.

 _Beep_

Finally, a female voice spoke in Spanish: _"¿Halo?_ _¿Quién habla? ¿Qué quieres?"_

Deaton sighed. He could only hope he wasn´t making a big mistake.

"Cora Hale? Here´s Alan Deaton" he said "I need to talk to Derek"

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **And thank you for commenting! It´s awesome to read your opinions and thoughts! It makes me incredibly happy!**_

 _ **Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes and I hoped you enjoyed the chapter!**_

 _ **Melpomene :)**_


	13. Chapter 13

Stiles sat in front of the campfire, Arya by his side. He watched the risa and fall of the flames as he answered her questions.

Two days after his fight with the harpy, Stiles was barely able to feel the pain that had accompanied his every move. His back was still bandaged, making it for him impossible to wear anything but a very big and loose sweater.

Although the slashes in his back were clearly getting better and the ache only came occasionally, he still wasn´t able to move as easily as he normally would, making it impossible for him to train. Which explained why he was now sitting on a fallen tree trunk, answering Arya´s questions and expanding his knowledge.

His dad had started to argue the moment Stiles had told him he was going to the brotherhood. The sheriff thought his son needed to stay in bed the entire day and rest, just like yesterday. But Stiles hadn´t given in. He had repeatedly told his dad that he had to go to the barracks and figure out what was happening. This wasn´t about him or about his wounds. A lot of people were in danger. And he had to help save them. He had to go and help Cedric figure out what was going on.

After seemingly endless moments of discussion, the sheriff had allowed him to go. But he had said he wouldn´t Stiles drive until his back had completely healed and had driven him himself.

Now, almost half an hour after his arrival, the sheriff was probably at the police station, not being able to work, worrying about his son.

But after finding Walter while looking for Cedric, the _psionic_ had told him Cedric was busy and would probably remain that way for a couple of hours. Walter had offered (with a dark and emotionless attitude, of course) to drive Stiles back to the nearest bus station, but Stiles had politely rejected. He said he would look for Arya and Quinn and wait with them until Cedric wasn´t busy anymore.

Arya sighed and started drawing another messy sword on the mud with a twig. A bell rang in Stiles´ mind the moment he recognized the shape.

"Zweihaender" he automatically said "or two-handed-sword, used in the High Middle Ages and Renaissance"

Arya smiled "Right"

Stiles closed his eyes for a moment and let out a tired sigh. He was getting more impatient after each minute he sat there. After the long, deep research he had done yesterday, not being able to do nothing but lay on bed, he thought he had an idea what the dead bodies could mean. There was this internet site that said sacrifices could…

He shook his head. He needed to tell Cedric himself. If what he had read was true, there was no way of knowing where the enemy was hiding and what it intended. He would love to storm into the man´s tent but that would cause too much attention, giving the enemy the hint he knew something. That´s why he waited. Patiently.

"You want another round?" asked Arya, interrupting his thoughts "We just went through HEMA but there are other martial arts we can talk about, like Kenjitsu"

Stiles shook his head "We´ve been through all of them" he answered "There´s nothing you haven´t asked me yet"

"What was the main weapon of the samurai?"

"Katana"

"How is a one-edged medieval sword called?"

"Sable"

"What does HEMA mean?"

"Historical European Martial Arts"

"Sword used in fencing?"

"Rapier"

"What technique do you use to…"

"Half-swording" answered Stiles without needing to hear the end of the question.

Arya frowned "How did you know?"

"It was kinda obvious" he replied, shrugging.

Arya picket a little stone from the ground and threw it into the fire "You´re a boring know-it-all"

"Isn´t the person who taught the know-it-all a worse know-it-all?" he answered sarcastically.

"Quinn was the one who taught you this, not me" she replied.

Stiles frowned at the mention of Quinn´s name. Normally, he and Arya were always hanging out together whether Stiles was there or not. But today, since Stiles had found Arya sharpening Joyeuse in front of the giant campfire, Quinn had been nowhere to be found.

"Where is he, by the way?" finally asked Stiles.

Arya smiled "A date"

Stiles raised his eyebrows, incredulous "A date?"

Arya nodded "A date"

"With Bernard? Or what was his name again?"

"Benedict" answered Arya and leaned closer to Stiles. When she spoke again, her voice was nothing more than a whisper "You can´t tell anyone. Cedric doesn´t know he… you know…likes boys"

Stiles nodded "I get it" he answered "What are they…?"

"Quinn didn´t want to tell me" she answered immediately "He just told me to tell everyone he was in the woods, studying some creepy little animal I really don´t care enough about to learn its name"

Stiles sighed, sitting here without doing anything was slowly driving him crazy. He looked up at the shining sun. It radiated so much energy and warmth, Stiles could feel it on his skin.

Wait.

An idea appeared in Stiles´ mind. Something he had been wanting to do the moment he had realized magic was some sort of energy. Now was a great time to try it.

He looked at Arya "Wanna try an experiment out?"

 **Teen Wolf**

Cedric sat behind his desk, reading all his notes all over again. The answer laid on the tip of his tongue, he knew it. There were only a few puzzle pieces left. The leader of the brotherhood sighed. This was the greatest threat he and his people had ever had to face.

The demons would get out of control if they didn´t act soon. There were no more people left to amplify the guards and the demons just kept showing up. Sooner or later, the members of the brotherhood wouldn´t be able to hold them back anymore. The normal people, the people living in the nearest city, Beacon Hills, would be in more danger than they already were. If the demons made it out of the forest, a lot of people would die.

But he had no idea how to stop them.

He had read the prophecy one time after another, hoping to find an answer. But it was ancient and difficult to decipher.

The harpy attack wasn´t helping him either. It just confused him more than he already was. If the demons had already gone into the city, why weren´t they doing it right now? Why had they attacked one particular place and then left? That didn´t make sense.

Suddenly a figure came into his tent. Cedric looked up; it was Arthur. The _mage_ knew it had to be something important, he had asked everyone to leave him alone while he went through all his papers and his knowledge to find a solution.

Cedric placed the sheet of paper on his desk "What is it, Arthur?"

"There´s someone who wants to see you" he said, looking nervously behind his shoulder "But I have no idea who it is"

Cedric frowned "Did he tell you his name?"

"No" replied Arthur "But he says he´s Thalia´s son"

Cedric´s eyes widened. He quickly got on his feet "Tell him to come in"

"Are you sure?" asked Arthur "He doesn´t seem to be very…"

"I know" replied Cedric "Tell him to come in"

Arthur nodded slowly and got out of the tent. Cedric heard muffled voices from the outside. He quickly piled the papers and stuffed them into a drawer. Whatever the Hale wanted, he definitely shouldn´t see them.

Finally, the curtains opened and a tall, dark-haired man came in. Wearing a leather jacket and ripped jeans, the newcomer crossed his arms.

Cedric looked at him emotionless "I wasn´t expecting to see you here, Derek"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles could hear Arya following him as they got deeper into the woods. They had to walk slowly because of Stiles´ physical condition but after some minutes, they finally got to the clearing where they normally trained. Stiles walked to the centre and squatted down.

Arya came to his side and looked at him questioningly "What are we doing again?"

"We are going to try to get magic out of the ground"

"Again; what are we doing?" asked Arya.

Stiles looked at her "The magic dimension is full of energy currents and stuff, right?"

She nodded.

"But we always get the energy from around us, not from the ground" he explained "But the ground has a lot more energy than the air, scientifically speaking"

"Seriously?" asked Arya incredulous "I get one day off Quinn´s science and you start with it too?"

Stiles shook his head "No, look, the earth´s core is extremely hot, that´s no big science" he explained "If I can concentrate enough and feel the magic that´s there…"

"That magic would be _super_ powerful" completed Arya, suddenly understanding.

"I would still have to find a way to get it to the surface" said Stiles "But it would be awesome nonetheless"

Arya bit her lower lip and didn´t say anything for a moment. She looked from the green grass beneath her feet to Stiles "It´s a great idea" she admitted "But I think it would be better if you tried another time"

"What? Why?"

Arya sighed "You _are_ still wounded, Stiles" she said "This would mean _a lot_ of effort and we don´t know if that would harm the healing progress"

Stiles shook his head "Of course it won´t" he answered "I won´t physically do anything, I´ll just concentrate"

Arya still looked at him worried. She wasn´t convinced.

Stiles smiled "Besides, we should do it while Quinn isn´t here, talking about the formulas of energy and the elements and…"

"I´d still rather listen to Quinn than to see you get hurt" she sighed.

Stiles looked at her for a moment and pushed down the urge to smile. He couldn´t remember the last time someone, beside his dad, had said he cared about him.

"Don´t worry" said Stiles "Nothing will happen and _should_ something happen you get the satisfaction to say; _I told you so"_

Arya stared at him for another moment. She sighed and got on her one knees next to Stiles. "I´ll _kill_ you if something happens"

 **Teen Wolf**

Derek looked at the man standing behind the wooden desk. He had always thought the stories his mother had told him were nonsense. People that guarded time and had magical abilities, that was way too exaggerated, even for a family of werewolves.

But after the fire, he had seen this same man come to Thalia´s funeral. Laura had talked to him, surprised no one knew the man. After a long, confusing speech, the three Hales left had discovered that the stories of their mother were everything but a lie.

Together, Laura and Cedric had come to the agreement to ignore the other. Each world had their own worries and problems, and things should stay that way. Only those three people had known by then. Now, there were only two left.

"I wasn´t planning to come" replied Derek, getting out of his thoughts "But apparently, there have been some things going on"

"There are always things going on around here" Cedric answered, taking seat again and pointing to a chair in front of his desk "Why don´t you seat down, I´m guessing we have a lot to talk about"

Derek gave the man a sceptical glare but let himself fall on the chair.

"What is the reason of your visit?" the man asked calmly.

"You know what it is" replied Derek "Something huge is going on in your world and it is affecting mine"

Cedric sighed "I can assure you, we are doing everything in our power to…"

"I´m not here to complain" interrupted Derek "I want to know what´s going on. The local pack is desperate to know what´s happening"

"The local pack?" Cedric asked, frowning "I thought you and your sisters were the only werewolves left after the fire"

Derek shook his head "Things have changed, there´s a new alpha and he has a pack"

"I should meet that alpha" said Cedric "It would be…"

Suddenly, the earth started shaking aggressively, quickly followed by a blast. Books and pens fell from Cedric´s desk, glass shattering as it hit the ground. At the same time, both men got on their feet and glanced at each other. Shouts and cries came from the outside.

As sudden as it had happened, it stopped. The earth shook one last time and stood still again, like nothing had happened.

Cedric strode quickly over to the exit of the tent, completely forgetting Derek. The werewolf was behind him in seconds. But when he got out, he found the man standing right beside the entrance, his eyes on the sky and his mouth opened.

Derek raised his head, wanting to see what Cedric was so stunned about.

He was left speechless.

Lightnings of various colours painted the sky. But there were no clouds. The lightnings seemed to come from the ground, from the woods.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles coughed, trying to get air into his lungs. He tried to push himself back to a sitting position but his arms quickly folded back again beneath him. His back impacted with the ground, causing pain to course through his entire body.

He heard Arya cough by his side and saw her silhouette. She slowly stood up and looked around. Her green eyes widened the moment they met Stiles´.

She quickly got next to him and let herself fall on her knees by his side.

"Are you alright?" she asked worried "How is your back?"

"I´m fine" answered Stiles.

She looked at him for a moment, still worried. Slowly, her frown disappeared and her factions got softer. Then it started to shift again until Stiles was able to see how angry she was.

Arya shook her head "I´m going to _kill_ you" she said and gave Stiles a murderous glare "I´m _so_ going to _kill_ you"

Stiles looked at her for a moment, trying to remain serious. He felt the urge to laugh burning in his throat but Arya would kill him twice if he did. As time passed, he couldn´t hold it back. It started out as a giggle until it turned into a hysterical laughter.

"That was AWESOME!" he said.

Arya opened her mouth, her face completely serious and annoyed. But slowly a glow appeared in her eyes and her shoulders started shaking. A smile spread across her face and soon turned into a laugh.

They laughed for what seemed a beautiful eternity until their stomachs hurt.

"I´m still going to kill you" said Arya but this time with a wide smile.

Stiles shook his head "You don´t kill me, I´ll forget my revenge. Deal?" he asked.

She grinned "Deal"

Stiles tried to push himself back up one more time but he only managed to get halfway up before his arm crumpled and he fell on his back again. He looked at Arya "Could you… ehm… help me out here?"

Arya frowned "With what?" she answered before her eyes widened "Oh, right!"

She stood up and took Stiles´ hands. Pulling him up and working together they managed to get Stiles on his feet again. Not without making him hiss in pain.

"Can you… ehm… stand?" she asked, not letting his hands go.

Stiles nodded "Yeah, no problem"

Suddenly Arya gasped for air "Oh my God!" she said, pointing towards the other side of the clearing.

Stiles turned around and found what Arya was so surprised about. In the middle of the clearing was a giant circle of burnt grass, smoke rising from it. But the best parts were the colourful lightnings coming from it, breaking out of the ground. Winds circled clockwise inside of the circle of burnt grass, making it seem like a tornado was forming.

Arya looked at him with wide eyes "Do something!"

"What…? How…?" asked Stiles, looking from Arya to the lightshow "I have no idea how to stop it!"

Arya shook her head "Then learn!"

Stiles raised his hands and tried to reach the magic dimension but he couldn´t get hold of it. Just after trying a few times, he knew he wouldn´t be able to concentrate enough.

"Cedric will kill us" he sighed, giving up.

"Us?" asked Arya " _Us_? _You_ had the idea! He´ll kill _you_!"

"Now you´re betraying me!" replied Stiles

Arya took a deep breath "No need to panic, we can figure this out"

"Right"

"We just need you to do everything you did but backwards"

Out of a sudden a twig snapped behind her. Being thrown back to reality, both teenagers turned around and noticed almost the entire brotherhood standing behind them. There were still footsteps to be heard. More people were coming.

"Stiles, make it stop!" asked Arya.

"I can´t!"

A figure made a step forward, walking out of the line of people. Godiva crossed her arms and gave them a vicious glare.

"What have you two _done_?" she asked angered "So irresponsible and _foolish_! What were you trying to do? Create an _explosion_? Tell _every single being_ in the world where we are?"

 **Teen Wolf**

Derek was surprised by the speed Cedric could run with. The human moved as fast as he did. And he was a werewolf. Cedric ran between trees, jumping over roots and fallen branches. Derek followed him at the same pace.

Finally, Cedric stopped as a crowd of people slowly appeared in front of them. Derek heard the man sigh in relieve. He seemed to be able to see something he couldn´t. What was going on?

"So irresponsible and _foolish_!" shouted a female voice, but Derek wasn´t able to see who it was. His sight was clouded by the people in front of him "What were you trying to do? Create an _explosion_? Tell _every single being_ in the world where we are?"

"It was just a mistake!" retorted another female voice, also angered "We didn´t think something this bad would happen! Besides, we aren´t children anymore for you to yell at us!"

"Now, listen to me, Arya, I´ve got every right to talk to you like this!" replied the first voice "You did something utterly dumb! What would your parents think? What would Muriel think?"

Almost every person in the clearing suddenly gasped for air and started to whisper. Derek could smell the tension and surprise in the air. Out of the corner of the eye, he noticed how Cedric walked into the crowd, probably wanting to get to the people arguing.

"Don´t you _dare_ to use them against me!" shouted the second voice, now completely furious "You _never_ cared about them! You stupid, old _bitch_!"

Suddenly someone cried out and almost everyone made a step backwards. Silence ruled over. Only furious groans and a hard breathing from the second person could be heard.

"Let me go!" she shouted "Don´t try to stop me! She can call me whatever she wants but _no one_ messes with my parents! I said, _let me fucking GO_!"

"I´m not letting you go until you calm down!" replied a male voice.

Derek frowned, he knew that voice. But it couldn´t b;, he had certainly imagined it. What would _he_ be doing here? With _them_ and not with the pack?

"Arya, _listen_ _to me_ , you need to calm down!" said the voice, sounding completely like Derek didn´t want it to "I´m not letting you go!"

Derek shook his head, it couldn´t be. He was just imagining it. It wasn´t his voice. The werewolf started to push people away, trying to get a better look. He just wanted to make sure because it just couldn´t be him.

But suddenly he got evidence he couldn´t deny "What happened here, Stiles?" asked Cedric "What did you do?"

"Nothing" answered immediately the person Derek now knew was Stiles "Well, nothing on purpose. I just wanted to try something out… Arya! Stop it!"

Derek pushed more people aside. He would only believe it when he saw him.

"Try something?" repeated Cedric "What are you even _doing_ here? You should be at home resting and letting your wounds heal!"

Derek had almost reached the end of the crowd. He could see now the back of an old woman standing next to Cedric. Derek pushed himself through the last row of people.

And saw Stiles.

Skinny Stiles, wrapping his arms around a girl his age and holding her back. He seemed different. Slightly different.

He had definitely grown some muscle since the last time Derek had seen him and he was wearing some weird large sweater. His factions looked exactly the same but there was something different in his eyes. Something mature.

The girl was about 17 years old, wearing only dark purple clothes. She wasn´t fighting against Stiles´ grip anymore but she was breathing heavily, her chest raising and falling rapidly.

"I wanted to talk to you" replied Stiles, looking at Cedric and not noticing Derek "But you were busy, so…"

"You tried to blow the whole camp up?" asked the woman Derek could only see her back from.

The girl, Arya, gave the woman a hateful glare "It was a _damn_ accident!" she said "We just wanted to mix some science with magic!"

Derek shook his head. What was happening? Why was Stiles with these people? Stiles, Scott´s best friend. The detective of the pack. The logical one. Why was he working with a magical girl?

This was a different Stiles. Stiles, talking to the them like they knew each other for years. Stiles, holding back a girl like they had been friends for a long time. Stiles, talking calmly to Cedric like the man was somehow his friend. Stiles, talking about magic with magical people like there was nothing unusual.

And the members looking at him like he wasn´t a stranger. Like it was something normal for them to see him. Like he belonged here.

Derek let out a sigh.

Stiles had changed sides.

He had betrayed the pack.

 **Teen Wolf**

"It was my idea" admitted Stiles, looking at Cedric.

"That´s _interesting_ " suddenly said sarcastically a voice behind Godiva " _Why_ don´t you explain your idea to us?"

Everyone turned immediately around, looking at the person who had spoken. Stiles let go of Arya and tried to get a look at the person whose voice sounded kind of familiar.

His eyes widened and he froze the moment he saw him.

Derek.

Derek, who was supposed to be in South America with Cora. Derek, that was a werewolf and didn´t belong in this world. Derek, who now knew he was part of the brotherhood.

Stiles opened his mouth and then closed it again. He opened it again, but there was nothing he could say. He was completely stunned.

"What the heck are you doing here?" he finally managed to ask, ignoring the glares of all the people around him.

Derek raised his eyebrows "I could ask you the same thing" Stiles frowned. He noticed a sharp undertone in the werewolf´s voice.

"He´s one of us" said Arya, crossing her arms as she freed herself from Stiles´ grip.

Derek raised his eyebrows and made a step forward "Is that so?" he asked "What does Scott think about this?"

Stiles suddenly felt an incredibly anger rise in his chest. Who cared what Scott thought? He wasn´t his alpha anymore. Scott had thrown him out. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted. He didn´t _need_ Scott´s permission.

"I don´t care what he thinks" he answered.

"He´s your alpha!"

"He´s _not_ my alpha!" replied Stiles, his hands started to shake in anger "And you´re _no one_ to talk to me like that, especially here"

Arya shook his shoulder "Stiles…"

But he ignored her. He ignored everyone standing here and observing how he argued with Derek. He ignored Godiva´s lost glare and Cedric´s incredulous gaze.

He wasn´t going to let a werewolf walk over him.

Not this time.

"You´re betraying your pack, Stiles!" said Derek "What are you doing with them? Why haven´t you told Scott?"

"I already told you, I _´m not part of that stupid pack anymore_!" replied Stiles. He felt how his body temperature rose "And I didn´t _betray_ them, they…"

"Stiles!" tried Arya again, shaking his shoulder harder.

"You should know that these people are not supernatural!" said Derek, also completely focused on Stiles "You can´t be part of this, you´re already…"

"Well, what if I don´t want to have anything to do with you?" interrupted Stiles "What if I like this world better?"

"STILES!" shouted Arya by his side.

Both, werewolf and Stiles turned around and looked at her at the same time.

"What?" asked Stiles annoyed.

Arya just pointed towards the middle of the clearing. Stiles followed her finger with his gaze.

"Holy shit!" he said after seeing it.

Just where the small wind currents had been, now was a small tornado, its winds shaking the leaves and branches of trees nearby. The burnt grass was now replaced by a giant, livid fire. Some of the lightnings that broke out of the ground, glowed so bright, Stiles couldn´t stared directly at them.

He also noticed that it wasn´t his body temperature that had risen. The heat came from the immense fire.

Almost everyone had left the clearing. Shouts and cries came from the forest from people running back to the camp. Only Cedric, Godiva and other _mages_ still remained where they had stood. All eyes set on the chaos before them.

Stiles knew it was him. He could feel how he was bonded to the magic dimension. The commands were flowing out of him and he had absolutely no control. His feelings were feeding the havoc.

"Stop it!" shouted Arya trying to be louder than the roar of the winds that got stronger every minute.

The anger in Stiles died in seconds but panic took its place. The fire got bigger and brighter.

"I don´t know how!" he said to Arya.

Out of a sudden Cedric was by his side, his hand on Stiles´ shoulder. Their eyes met.

"You have to close that gap!" Cedric told Stiles "You opened it and now only you have the power to close it!"

Stiles shook his head "I don´t know how!"

The wind got stronger, branches cracked and flew into the twister.

Arya looked at him "You can do it Stiles!" she shouted "If you want to blow the forest up wait till Quinn is here!"

Stiles knew she was trying to make him calm down but it didn´t work, it just made him more nervous. Was he destroying the forest? Would he bring the forest down? Even Beacon Hills?

Cedric shook softly his shoulder "Close your eyes!" he said "I´ll help you!"

Stiles took a deep breath. He could do it. He _would_ do it.

He raised his hands and closed his eyes.

"Enter the magic dimension" he heard Cedric´s voice.

Stiles took a deep breath and did what the mage said. It was harder than usual but he felt the energy around him in seconds.

The magic dimension was pure chaos. The currents of magic where streaming into each other, destroying their paths and getting off course. All the sensations he normally felt when he entered the magic dimension were gone. He couldn´t feel any tree or person around him. The only thing was chaos. And it was connected to him.

He heard Cedric´s voice, far away "Find the source"

Stiles tried, he tried to follow one current but it was all just a giant mess. He couldn´t find anything, he couldn´t distinguish which current of magic was causing the fire and which was causing the lightnings. It was like swimming against the stream. An impossible success.

But he had to do it. People would get hurt if he gave up.

He clenched his teeth and tried harder, using every single bit of energy and power of will in his body. Sweat started to run down his back. He felt how his hands started to shake. Slowly, he stepped further into the eye of the chaos.

And, finally, he felt it, it was a giant knot of energy, sucking everything into it. Like a black hole.

Fearing opening his mouth would make him lose concentration, Stiles only nodded to tell Cedric he had found it.

"Good" said the old man "Now, it has to be somehow bonded to you. Cut that bond and once you´ve done it, try to close the gap like you´ve always done"

Stiles took a deep breath. He focused on the giant ball of energy and sought something that connected him to it. It wasn´t as hard as coming near it had been, but he was slowly losing his force. His legs wanted to give in and his arms shook harder.

A warm hand touched his right arm "You can do it" said Arya "I know you can"

 **Teen Wolf**

Derek saw Stiles´ skin get pale, his face was covered by sweat and his entire body shaking. He couldn´t believe what he was seeing. Stiles was somehow using magic and judging by the giant chaos in front of him, quite powerful one.

The girl, Arya, her hand placed on Stiles´ raised arm, started to say repeatedly how Stiles could do it, trying to cheer him up, trying to give him a bit more energy.

Suddenly Stiles gasped for air and the earth started to shake just like it had before. Derek gave Cedric a worried look but the _mage´s_ eyes were set on Stiles. People screamed in the camp, the adults that had stayed in the clearing ran into the forest, scared.

But Derek staid.

In seconds the earth became still again. Derek looked up at Stiles and saw how the boy wasn´t shaking anymore. Slowly, the temperature started to drop again whilst the fire got smaller until it finally was completely extinguished.

The tornado that had been forming vanished suddenly, making twigs and leaves fall abruptly to the ground. Derek ducked and tried to get out of their way.

One last bright lightning hit the sky and then everything became still. The werewolf looked around and saw branches from all sizes laying around him. The trees nearest to the clearing had lost almost all their leaves.

His eyes finally got to Stiles. First, he only stood there, his eyes still closed and his arms risen. But then he started to blink like he was awakening from a long dream. Finally, his eyes stayed opened and looking around, the boy sighed relieved.

"Congratulations!" said Arya to Stiles "You didn´t cause the end of the world after all!"

"If you don´t mind…" replied Stiles with trembling voice, shaking his head "I´ll just need to… seat one moment…"

He let himself fall on the ground and stayed there, recovering his strength. Derek could see how exhausted he was. His chest rose and fell incredibly fast and his heart beat unusually rapidly. Arya sat down next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

Derek observed them one moment. Stiles had magic. Stiles was one of the magical people his mother had taught him to fear. Skinny, defenceless Stiles had an incredible amount of power.

A part of him fought against that recognition. Stiles had always been human, the weak link. But after seeing how the flames had cut deeper into the sky, following his anger, how the winds had moved with his emotions, how he had followed Cedric´s instructions and stopped every single bit of chaos in minutes, how his entire body had shaken as he used magic.

It couldn´t be denied.

Stiles wasn´t weak anymore. He was powerful and strong. He was a damn tornado machine.

And this was where he belonged. With people that had the same abilities, with people that could understand him. Where he wasn´t the only one that wasn´t part of it. Where he wasn´t just the _human_.

Every bit of anger that had clouded Derek´s vision disappeared, making it clear for him to understand.

Stiles hadn´t betrayed his pack.

He had found it.

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading!_**

 ** _This chapter got longer than I thought (again!) but I hope you don´t mind!_**

 ** _I hope you liked Derek´s return and, no worry, he´ll stay around ;)_**

 ** _I give everyone that has reviewed a big imaginary hug and thank you a lot! Every time I read one comment, it´s like a bomb of happiness and it makes my day!_**

 ** _So, please, if you´d like and if you feel like it, comment! It´s just awesome when I read the reviews!_**

 ** _I hope you liked the chapter and that you also enjoyed it!_**

 ** _Thank you again for reading!_**

 ** _Melpomene_**


	14. Chapter 14

Stiles waited. He waited for the numbness in his arms to disappear, for the burning in his lungs to stop, for the tingling in his legs to go away. For the exhaustion to leave his body.

Arya sat on the grass next to him and waited for him. She didn´t say a word but her presence was enough for Stiles. He didn´t feel alone.

He had no idea where Cedric was. Immediately after the fire had stopped, the man had run off, probably to tell everyone everything was all right and that there was no danger anymore.

He didn´t know how long he and Arya stayed there, starring into the naked trees. He just concentrated on regaining his energy.

And forgot one very important thing.

Derek, who stood on the other side of the clearing.

Finally, after some time, Arya placed her hand on his and shook it lightly.

"Cedric wants to see us" she told him.

Stiles looked up, frowning "How do you know?"

"Walter just told me"

Stiles´ frown deepened "How?"

" _Psionic_?" she answered smiling.

"Right" he answered "Real world Charles Xavier"

Arya laughed "He isn´t nearly as powerful"

"But he can read minds"

"But Charles is awesome" answered Arya "Walter is just a grumpy mind reader"

She suddenly closed her eyes and smirked "…and he just heard that"

"That´s creepy" said Stiles "You could like, literally be stalked while you´re going to the bathroom, like he would know what you think or how does it…?"

Arya shook her head and got on her feet "It doesn´t work that way. I´ll explain it later" she interrupted and stretched her hands out, offering Stiles help "But now we must go back"

"I can get up by myself, you know"

"Really?" she asked with risen eyebrows and crossed arms "I´d like to see that"

Stiles pushed himself back up and, biting his lower lip to not show Arya how much his back hurt, he got on his feet. But as soon as all his weight was put on his legs, it became too much for his exhausted body. His leg crumbled beneath him and he was about to fall back again on the ground…

But two strong hands grabbed his arms and kept him standing.

Stiles looked back.

Derek.

" _Get off_ " he said, shaking the werewolf´s hands off "I said I could do it _alone_ "

Derek made a step backwards, leaving Stiles unsure on his feet for one moment. But soon, he recovered his equilibrium and stability.

"Stiles, you can barely stand" stated Derek.

"That´s my problem" retorted Stiles "You can go get your _damn_ alpha, I´m sure…"

Arya coughed "Actually" she said nervously "Cedric wants to talk to him too"

 **Teen Wolf**

"Why don´t you tell us what happened back there in the clearing?" asked Cedric, sitting on the head of the table.

They were in the same room where Stiles had had his first induced vision, like Arya called it. It was where the emergency meeting had been so long ago and just like then, all the representatives sat on their respective places. The only exception being Derek who clearly seemed uncomfortable in his skin, not knowing exactly what was going on.

Arya and Stiles would usually not be allowed to be there but given the circumstances, Cedric had invited and require them to come. Probably because of the tornado Stiles had caused.

Stiles took a deep breath and glanced quickly at Arya and then at Cedric "I kind of had the idea to take magic out of the ground, like to see the difference. But when I reached for the magic down there… well, something snapped or clicked and then something kind of exploded and yeah…, that´s pretty much it"

"What did you want to talk to Cedric about?" suddenly asked Walter "You said you wanted to tell him something"

Stiles hesitated for a moment. His plan had been to only tell Cedric what he had discovered, not the entire community of representatives. It was quite a delicate matter and he wasn´t sure if so many people knowing would be advantageous. His eyes travelled quickly to Derek. The werewolf was something that made him hold back too. This was his world and werewolves didn´t belong here. The beta had no right to know what was going on.

But people were in danger and right now that was all that mattered.

"I read something on the internet" he finally said "and I think I know what´s going on with the demons and the dead bodies"

Cedric´s eyes widened, just like Walter´s. Rowan, the _unseen_ , gasped for air and looked incredulous at Stiles. Derek raised his eyebrows. Clearly, no one had expected to hear something like that.

"Well, boy" spoke Godiva impatiently "Tell us! What are you waiting for?!"

"We thought the bodies found in the city had nothing in common, right?" asked Stiles. Everyone nodded, not knowing where he was going.

"But that´s exactly it! They were completely different!" said Stiles "I read their files and somehow they came from different cultures from all over the world. The places where they were killed were somehow related to their origins"

"That´s interesting…." commented Arya unsure "but that doesn´t explain the demons"

Stiles shook his head "I´m getting there" he replied "I read on the internet of a ritual called _Blutersatz._ It means blood-compensation in German. In Roman times some demonic sects or cults carried such ceremonies out. A certain victim was killed that had something in common with the invoked demon. As a payback, the demons offered these cults obedience and submission"

Cedric´s eyes widened as he got what Stiles was saying.

"Someone is sacrificing people from specific cultures" he said "And winning power over almost every kind of demons, no matter from which epoch they are"

Stiles nodded "That´s how they are appearing out of nowhere" he added "Demons are being summoned by some dark magic and forming an army that serves that someone"

"Do you have any idea who that could be?" asked Walter, for once looking at Stiles like he wasn´t stupid "Have you found something out about the kind of person that could do that?"

Stiles sighed "I found nothing" he answered "But it has to be someone with a connection to the magical dimension, that´s kind of obvious"

The _psionic_ nodded, thoughtfully. Everyone stayed in silence, thinking about the information they had just gotten. Stiles knew that was it. There couldn´t be another explanation that was so logical and understandable. Everything matched up. It made sense.

"But that would mean…" suddenly whispered Arabella, the _seer_ "…there´s one of us doing that"

Godiva nodded slowly "There´s a traitor in our midst"

 **Teen Wolf**

The meeting had ended. The last thirty minutes had only been a discussion of how to trace the traitor down but, even though Cedric made it look like they would find him, Stiles knew that it would be damn hard. They had no idea which kind of member could do something like that. Most probably a _mage_ , but _masters_ and _seers_ and _psionics_ and _unseen_ … It could be anyone.

And it could have anything in mind. The brotherhood now knew why the demons were appearing out of nowhere and why the bodies were being found. But they still had no idea why the person was summoning a demon army and what it intended to do with it. That was what most bothered Stiles, that person could do almost everything if it had enough demons on its side.

Everyone walked over to the exit of the tent. Arya next to Stiles. He just wanted to go home and rest after all the stuff that had happened today. He was so focused on the thought of a cup hot chocolate that he forgot one person. Again.

"Stiles and Arya, could you stay here?" suddenly asked Cedric behind them "And you as well Derek, I think we have some things to figure out"

Stiles spun around. Derek. Right. For some reason, he knew Cedric was aware of the true nature of Derek. There was no denying Cedric knew about werewolves. And Derek knew about the brotherhood. Maybe not as much as Stiles did but enough.

He had hoped for this never to happen. He had hoped for the two worlds to stay apart forever. The supernatural was just… it was just a mess that had ruined his life. His best friend, his first crush…

But the brotherhood had offered him shelter when he had needed it. Arya had saved his life and he had later done the same. He had discovered his magical abilities and had found friends that cared about him. He had found a place where he wasn´t a burden.

But the line that had divided the supernatural from magic was now gone.

Arya seemed to notice his nervousness and slid her hand into his "If you stopped a tornado, you can do this" she whispered.

He looked surprised at her "Do you know who he…?"

She shook her head lightly "I have no idea" she replied "But I saw how you reacted after seeing him, in fact, the entire state probably did"

Stiles smiled and started to walk again back to his seat, feeling a little bit better with Arya by his side. He sat down on Cedric´s left side and Arya right next to him. Derek took place exactly in front of Stiles, to Cedric´s right.

The _mage_ leaned his elbows on the table and looked from left to right. Observing Derek and Stiles interchangeably. Finally, he raised his eyebrows.

"You know each other" he stated and then turned to Stiles "You know about the supernatural and from what I heard, you were quite involved with it"

Stiles glanced briefly at Arya. He took a deep breath "A former friend of mine is a werewolf"

He felt how Arya tensed in her chair beside him. With wide eyes she looked at Cedric, probably expecting the man to say Stiles was crazy. But Cedric didn´t. The leader of the brotherhood nodded lightly.

"Wait" she suddenly said incredulous "Werewolves exist? Aren´t they pop-culture stuff society has created?"

Derek scoffed "Do I look like pop culture to you?"

Arya looked at him with an open jaw. "You…" she whispered and then looked at Stiles "He´s…" she pointed towards Derek "…a werewolf?"

Stiles shrugged "I told you they were real"

"But…" she breathed out "The books said… Are you… Are you sure?"

"Arya, I know it is hard to believe but werewolves _do_ exist, as do hunters and other supernatural shapeshifters" replied Cedric "But we try to maintain our worlds as separated as possible"

Stiles frowned "Why?"

"Because we are a universe each, with its unique advantages and disadvantages. Imagine if one person combined only the advantages to become immensely powerful or if someone started a war against the other side. Only bad things would come out of a relationship between us"

"But why do _you_ know and what does _he_ have to do with it?" asked Arya pointing to Derek.

"When my father died, I made a pact with his mother. We were the only ones that knew about the other world and did everything we could to keep things that way. We wanted to ensure peace" explained Cedric "But she died in a fire and I contacted her son and daughters, who are also werewolves, and did the same as I had done with their mother"

"But, apparently" interrupted Derek "we weren´t the only ones that knew another world existed, right Stiles?"

"I told Arya" Stiles defended himself.

"I thought you were kidding!" she replied "As far as I knew, magic was the only unusual thing in the universe!"

"Well, you see, I was right and you ignored me"

"Quinn also ignored you"

"So, Stiles" interrupted Cedric their discussion "Do you want to enlighten us?"

Stiles swallowed. If he told Cedric everything he knew, he wouldn´t end talking in months. He decided to only say the absolute necessary stuff.

"My best friend was bitten a few years ago" he told Cedric.

"Your best friend?"

"My former best friend" corrected Stiles "He kind of… Well, we had a fight a while ago"

Stiles saw Derek raise an eyebrow, surprised. But he wasn´t going to look at the werewolf. Derek could think whatever he wanted, Scott was probably going to tell him his side of the story if he hadn´t already.

Suddenly Arya gasped for air, understanding. She had heard Scott talking with Malia the first time, and Quinn had probably told her about the night he had had the fight. She probably now understood what was going on. But she kept quiet and didn´t say a word.

"He´s the alpha" suddenly said Derek "Scott McCall is the alpha of the local pack"

Cedric raised an eyebrow "A teenager is an alpha?" he said "I don´t think it´s convenient for him to know about us just yet. He´s too young. When the time comes I´ll contact him and explain everything"

"Why didn´t you tell Cedric about the werewolves?" Arya asked Stiles.

"Because you made it pretty clear that werewolves were nonsense" he answered "I assumed no one would believe me"

"Why didn´t you tell Scott?" suddenly asked Derek.

Stiles clenched his fists under the table. Not this again. Why couldn´t Derek understand that he wanted nothing to do with Scott?

"I just said it" he replied with a sharper tone "We had a fight and haven´t talked since"

 **Teen Wolf**

"Are you sure you don´t wanna stay here?" asked Arya one more time "I´m sure Eustace wouldn´t mind taking one look at your wounds, just to make sure nothing…"

"If you ask one more time, I swear…" replied Stiles without lowering his pace.

"You know, you shouldn´t upset me since I´m the one who´s driving you home" replied Arya, shaking the keys of the old car the brotherhood owned in front of his face.

"I could walk"

"Yeah, and you´ll get home by tomorrow"

"Do you even have a driver´s license?" asked Stiles, frowning.

Arya kept walking and didn´t say a word. Stiles turned his head around and looked at her, surprised. But her eyes were set on the path in front of them that lead to the clearing where the brotherhood kept its only three cars.

"You know how to drive, don´t you?" asked Stiles, worried he would die in a car accident in the upcoming hour.

"Of course I do!" she replied offended "I just don´t have a driver´s license, they´re expensive"

"What if the police…?"

She shrugged "You´re the sheriff´s son, I´m sure you can outwit them"

"My dad will kill me if I…"

"If you drove with three very fresh slashes in your back?" interrupted Arya "Yeah, that´s why I´m driving and you´re going to be okay with it"

Stiles sighed. He opened his mouth to tell one more…

"I can drive him" suddenly said a voice behind Stiles.

Both _masters_ turned around. Arya quickly placed her hand on Joyeuse´s hilt while Stiles rapidly pulled a hidden dagger out of his left sleeve. Since the harpy attack, he had decided to never leave his house unarmed.

It was so natural for him to hold a weapon in his hand that he didn´t even think about pulling it out. But apparently it was something surprising for the person behind them, judging by his facial expression.

Stiles couldn´t remember if he had ever seen Derek so stunned and surprised.

"How long have you been following us?" asked Arya, not noticing Derek´s astonishment.

The werewolf´s eyes were fixed on Stiles, or on his hand with the dagger more precisely.

"I overheard your conversation and thought I could offer you a solution"

"We don´t _need_ your solutions, _thank you very much_ " replied Stiles and started to turn around again.

"Come on, Stiles" said Derek behind him "Whatever happened between you and Scott, it wasn´t my fault. You don´t need to pull this crap"

Stiles spun around "I´m _not_ …"

"Yes you are. Ever since you saw me, you have only talked to me derogatorily" Derek interrupted "Don´t you think you owe me an explanation? At least as a friend?"

"Scott was your friend, not me" retorted Stiles "I am nothing more than a _useless human_ in all of your eyes"

Derek´s mouth hung open for a moment. He clearly didn´t know what to say.

"Where did you get…?" he started but shook his head before ending his sentence "Just let me drive you home so we can talk"

 **Teen Wolf**

Derek observed the teen out of the corner of his eye. Stiles had given in, if only because of the fact Arya had not known to which car the keys belonged. The girl had obviously no idea about modern era devices which had made Stiles agree to let Derek drive him home. Against his will how he had made pretty clear by now.

Glancing at the boy on the seat next his, Derek still couldn´t believe how much he had changed. Aside from all his physical improvements, Stiles was clearly more confident and comfortable in his skin. There still was something left of the sarcastic-self but a layer of authority and seriousness cover it now. The werewolf shook his head; he had never heard Stiles talk to someone like he had to him. Stiles hadn´t been angered; it had been different. It was like the boy just wanted Derek to stay as far as possible.

"You want to tell me what happened?" asked Derek, his eyes on the road.

"If you hadn´t noticed, _a lot_ of things have happened" retorted Stiles. Derek knew the boy was looking out of the window, trying to avoid eye contact.

"I mean between you and Scott" replied Derek "That must have been a big fight if you keep such things from him because of it"

Silence. Derek supposed Stiles didn´t want to talk about it.

"You know; Scott has always been worried about you" continued Derek "He was always eager to protect you…"

"He threw me out of the pack" interrupted Stiles.

Derek turned around, surprised. But Stiles was still looking at the trees passing by the window.

"What…?" said Derek, not believing what he had heard "How did he…?"

Stiles sighed and briefly glanced at Derek before pulling his dagger out of his sleeve and starting to play with it.

"He said I was useless" finally said Stiles, his eyes down on his dagger "Said I only hindered the pack, that I had only been allowed to hang out with them because I had been his best friend before the supernatural shit started"

"Scott wouldn´t do that" stated Derek. He was sure of it.

Stiles laughed humourlessly "He did. As did Malia and Kira and Lydia. They all agreed on how pathetically human I am"

Derek looked at the road before him. This was definitely not what he had expected. Apparently, not only Stiles had changed during his absence but also Scott and the entire pack. It took him a moment to take everything in.

"I´m sorry, Stiles" he finally blurted out "But you have to know that´s not… God, stop that! You´re going to hurt yourself!"

Derek didn´t know what was more dangerous; to take his eyes off the road or to take them off Stiles. He was still playing with the dagger. His bare hand wrapped around the blade while he played with the hilt with his other hand.

Stile looked up at him and, for the first time since they had seen each other in the clearing, smiled at him.

"What; this?" he asked, closing his other hand also around the blade "No worry. I know what I am doing. It´s a sword technique. First I had to use leather gloves but now, after some practising, I´m pretty good at it"

And there he was again. The endlessly talking, relaxed son of the sheriff he knew. Derek smiled, some things hadn´t changed after all.

"You have some abilities now, right?" commented Derek, hoping to get information out of the boy.

Stiles kept playing with his dagger "You could say that" he replied.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say. Derek could feel with his heightened senses that Stiles wasn´t as tense anymore. He seemed more relaxed. Like a weight was now off his shoulders.

"I wanted to tell Scott, you know" suddenly said Stiles "I tried to tell him, but he wasn´t interested. They didn´t even let me talk and the night I discovered I had… I had… these _powers_ , was the same night he threw me out of the pack. We haven´t talked since"

Derek didn´t know what to respond. "When did it happen?"

"A month ago? No, almost two months" replied Stiles "No idea, I have been kind of busy"

"Training?" asked Derek.

"Yeah, kinda" responded Stiles "Listen, when you tell Scott about all of this could you...?"

"I´m not going to tell him" interrupted Derek.

Stiles blinked, surprised "No?"

Derek drove into the next motorway exit "Well, I´ll have to tell them _something_ about the brotherhood" he explained "But I won´t tell him about your… involvement in this"

"Why?" asked Stiles "I mean, great, but why?"

"It´s your secret to tell not mine" replied Derek "And judging by what you just told me, it might not be best for Scott to know"

"Wow, thanks" said slowly Stiles. Suddenly he smiled "You´re not such a sourwolf after all"

"Just because I´m keeping your secret, doesn´t mean I´ll be nicer to you"

"I honestly don´t think that´s humanly possible" replied Stiles and hid the dagger again under his sleeve.

Derek noticed now that Stiles hadn´t leaned on his back during the entire car trip. He frowned, remembering what almost everyone had said. Stiles was wounded and healing. He sniffed the air and caught a glimpse of blood and some herbs he hadn´t smelled ever before.

"What happened to your back?"

Stiles looked at him for a moment "Just a few scratches" he answered "Some harpies attacked the shopping centre and I tried to help a little boy. One of them caught me off guard"

"Oh" replied Derek, not giving the matter much importance.

It wasn´t until later, when he was driving to his loft, an hour after he had dropped Stiles off in front of his house, that he remembered his conversation with Deaton.

A superhero was the reason the veterinarian had called him. A superhero that had used magic to protect a boy and kill demons. A superhero that had been wounded but had kept fighting.

Stiles´ back was wounded.

He had tried to save a little boy.

Stiles was the superhero.

Immediately after seeing the puzzle pieces fit in his head, Derek steered the wheel abruptly to his right and stopped the engine, parking suddenly.

He shook his head incredulous. He couldn´t tell Scott, couldn´t tell anyone. He was completely sure Stiles didn´t even know what a big deal saving that kid had been.

Derek ran his hands through his hair.

Stiles was immensely powerful.

And he had no idea.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! I´m sorry for the delay but I´ve been kind of busy lately and will probably stay that way until the end of the week. But, I´ll write as much as I can and update as soon as I can!**_

 _ **And I promise I won´t stop writing this story! It´s just awesome to see how many people read it or follow/ favourite it! I wouldn´t let you down by stopping this fanfic. So, don´t worry!**_

 _ **I can also assure you that Arya and Stiles will start to develop their relationship soon!**_

 _ **And thank you a lot for all of your reviews! It just warms my heart when I read them and (I think I´ve said it before) they just make my day. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your kindness and support, I really appreciate it. So a big hug for you!**_

 _ **And if you would like and feel like it, please comment! I love to read them as I wrote before and well I can´t say anything I haven´t said yet. Each time I read them a bomb of happiness explodes in my heart.**_

 _ **I´m also a bit curious to know if you have got an idea regarding the traitor. I don´t know if it´s too obvious or if I´ve played my cards well ;) I´d love to hear (or read) your opinion.**_

 _ **I hoped you liked the chapter!**_

 _ **Thanks again for reading**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	15. Chapter 15

"Hold on for a minute" interrupted Scott, raising his palm as a stop sign "You´re telling us that we aren´t the only supernatural stuff out there? That there are also some kind of magical monks?"

Derek blinked, obviously annoyed by the interruption "Yes and no. They protect the present from demons and have magical abilities"

Lydia narrowed her eyes and shook her head lightly "You just repeated what Scott said"

"No, I didn´t" replied Derek, opening the fridge and taking a beer out of it "They´re not supernatural and they fight demons from the past"

Liam, sitting on a kitchen chair in Derek´s loft, frowned "How can that be? Everything not normal _is_ supernatural"

"Not everything" said Derek, taking a sip from his beer "It´s like two parallel worlds. We deal with supernatural stuff, they with magical. Might seem similar but it isn´t"

Malia, standing next to Scott in front of the door, made a step forward "So, you´re saying all these murders are part of _their_ world and none of our business"

Derek shook his head "Not what I said"

"You just told us we had to…" started Scott, raising his voice.

"I know what I said" interrupted Derek "They don´t want us to get involved and I´m pretty sure they can handle these murders on their own, but we aren´t going to sit here and wait"

"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked Kira, sitting on a chair in front of Liam "I mean how do you know about them? How do you know you can trust them?"

"A truce made by my mother and their leader years ago. They can be trusted, especially because St…" Derek trailed off, like he had just stopped himself from telling a secret.

Scott frowned "Especially because of what?"

"Nothing" replied Derek, shaking his head "Just unnecessary stuff"

"How long have you known about this?" asked Malia.

Derek shrugged "About the brotherhood? Since the fire. That these killings are part of their world? For two days"

"I don´t understand, how do…?" started to ask Liam.

"As soon as I got the call from Deaton, I took the next flight to America. Two days ago I went to their camp and talked to the leader"

"Their alpha?" asked Malia.

"No, that´s not how it works" responded Derek "They function differently. They don´t have alphas or betas or omegas"

"Well, then how…?" asked Malia.

"I don´t know" interrupted Derek "I don´t know everything about them. But I _do_ know they figured out what´s going on with the killings"

Scott´s eyes widened "They know who the murderer is? Who is it? Or what is it?"

"It´s someone that´s sacrificing people to summon demons" replied Derek "But they don´t know who it is"

Derek felt the tension in the air between the members of the pack. This was the great news they had looked for. The answers they had so desperately wanted. But they now that they knew, they couldn´t do much about it. Maybe that was the worst part.

Kira coughed, finally breaking the silence "You mean demons like… like the Nogitsune?"

Derek could see the fright in the eyes of the pack´s members. It had been hard to defeat the Nogitsune, to save Stiles. If there were more demons like that… They had no chance against them.

But, fortunately, that wasn´t the case. Derek shook his head "No, the Nogitsune was a supernatural demon. The demons in their world are less powerful but a lot more in number"

"Which means we could kill them?" asked Scott.

"I don´t know" replied Derek "They´re not very open to strangers. No one knows about them unless they want to and they also keep their secrets well hidden"

"We could try" stated Malia, crossing her arms "I mean, we won´t know until we try"

Scott suddenly frowned "What does Stiles have to do with all of this?"

Derek´s eyes widened. How did he know? According to Stiles, Scott had no idea about him and the brotherhood.

"Stiles?" he asked "What about him?"

"We saw him talking to strangers, a boy and a girl. Then Scott heard him talking to his dad about someone who could help them with the murders" said Malia "He clearly has something to do with them"

Derek shook his head "I didn´t hear anything about Stiles"

Scott took a shaking breath "I´m going to talk to him"

"Scott, how…?" started to ask Liam surprised.

"He didn´t come to school on Monday or Tuesday or today, he´s somehow involved in this weird drama and I want to know what´s going on!" said Scott "I´ll knock on his door until he opens but I´m done with this!"

Derek saw the surprise in all of the faces of the pack. No one had expected such an outburst. Scott was clearly frustrated and annoyed. He was upset and angry and was going to act lead by those feelings.

"Scott, we already got…" started Lydia, trying to calm him down.

"No" interrupted Scott "Derek told us something but I bet Stiles knows a lot more and he´s not telling us. And I´m not going to sit here and wait for them to stop the killings. If Stiles knows something that could help us, he´s going to tell me"

"Scott, stop" replied Derek "This is not how things work"

Scott put on his jacket and started to walk towards the door "This is how they work now"

 **Teen Wolf**

John Stillinki had watched _The Return of the Sith_ a thousand times but he was now watching it one more time. His shift had ended one hour ago at 2 pm. He had come and found Stiles sitting on the couch in front of the TV, watching _The Phantom Menace._

John had told him explicitly to not leave his bed and to rest. He had seen a lot of wounds in his policemen carrier, making it easy for him to know when they were bad or not. After Stiles had come home Sunday evening, covered by dirt and mud, the sheriff had insisted on changing the bandages on his back. Stiles had obviously tried to talk his dad out of it but hadn´t been successful in the end.

The moment the sheriff had seen the slashes on his son´s back, he had known they weren´t just a scratch, like his son had said. Stiles had told him Eustace had used some magic herbs to accelerate the healing process but it would still take some time.

The sheriff had observed his son carefully the rest of the day and noticed those little details that Stiles wasn´t able to hide. How he walked slower than normally, how he winced every time he went up or down the stairs, how he bit his lower lip when he sat down. John saw it.

And he had immediately known; Stiles wasn´t going to school until he was healed.

Now, Wednesday, the sheriff saw how his son´s condition had improved. Stiles could walk at a normal pace and could go up and down the stairs. He still had difficulty running or winced when something touched his back but those were the only things left.

Now, they both were eating pizza they had ordered and were watching Star Wars. John knew Stiles was going to insist on going to school tomorrow, he knew his son thought he was now healed but John still wouldn´t mind if Stiles missed school one more day.

"I don´t get how no one knew who the father of Padme´s child was" commented Stiles "Like she just appears pregnant and no one asks who the father is, yeah right"

"Maybe they thought it was Palpatine´s son" replied the sheriff "They were quite close before he revealed he was the sith lord"

Stiles glanced at his father with a risen eyebrow "That´s just gross" he said "He´s like hundred years older than her"

"Not a hundred" replied the sheriff "I´d say thirty to forty"

"He´s a sith lord, he can be thousands of years old" replied Stiles "He could be…"

But he never finished his sentence. Someone started to knock violently on the door. Three times, then it stopped. After a few seconds it started again.

Son and father looked at each other, wondering who it could be. Neither of them were expecting anyone. Much less someone so desperate.

"I´ll go" said Stiles by the fifth time the person knocked heavily on the door.

The sheriff got quickly on his feet and pushed Stiles kindly back on the couch. "I´ll go, you stay right where you are"

"Dad, I can…"

 _KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

The sheriff shook his head "I´ll go"

And before his son could reply anything, he walked quickly towards the door and opened it.

Scott was standing on the other side.

"I need to talk to Stiles" he said as soon as he saw the sheriff.

The sheriff faked a smile"I´m fine, thanks for asking"

Scott started to fidget in his place "I´m sorry, sheriff, but I really need to talk to Stiles"

"Why?"

"Because he knows something I need to know" replied Scott.

The sheriff crossed his arms "And that would be?"

"I just need to talk to him"

"Let me see if I got this right" said the sheriff "First you said my son was useless and now you want to talk to him because he knows something you don´t"

"Come on, sheriff, that´s not…"

"I think that´s exactly how it is"

"Just let me in and talk to him" said Scott "We´ll just talk five minutes and I´ll leave him alone"

The sheriff hesitated for a moment. He could tell Scott to go away but the werewolf would still try to talk to Stiles in school or somewhere else. Judging by the way he had knocked on the door, he really wanted something from Stiles. If he let him in, they would talk and Scott would leave Stiles alone. But if he didn´t, the werewolf would follow his son everywhere until they finally talked.

It was better to just get it over with.

He opened his mouth, ready to…

" _Don´t let him come in"_

The sheriff frowned and turned around. He could have sworn that was Stiles´ voice. But his son was nowhere near, it couldn´t have been him.

"Mr Stillinski? Everything all right?" asked Scott impatiently.

The sheriff shook his head; he had imagined it.

" _Dad, I don´t want to talk to him"_

That was his son. He knew it was him. The sheriff had no idea what the hell was happening or how Stiles was talking to him like that. But he was sure of one thing. Scott wasn´t going to talk to his son.

He looked at the werewolf standing on his porch "Now is not a good time"

Scott shook his head "You don´t understand, this is something important"

"I´m sorry, Scott, but you can´t talk to him" repeated the sheriff with a firm voice.

"Look, I know he´s upset with me but…"

"Scott, I´m telling you one last time, leave him alone" interrupted the sheriff and closed the door.

He saw Scott´s shadow beneath the door for another five seconds but finally, the werewolf left.

The sheriff quickly walked over to the living room. Stiles was still sitting on the couch; the movie was paused. John looked at his son and rose his eyebrows.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

Stiles took a deep breath "I don´t know" he said "I just heard him and I didn´t want to talk to him and then I just felt this thing and… I don´t know, dad"

The sheriff sat down next to his son "Is it some kind of magical ability?"

Stiles´ eyes suddenly widened "Oh my God" he said "I know what I did"

"What?"

"I talked to you telepathically, like to your mind"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles was barely able to feel the pain in his back. Now, exactly a week after the attack, he could run and jump without feeling any pain. Eustace had been right. There was almost no reminder of his wounds, just some red scars.

He looked at his timetable. His next lesson was Universal History with Ms. West. Just two more lessons and he would be freed from this hell called school. Afterwards he would call Arya and Quinn and tell them about the way he had talked to his father on Wednesday.

It freaked the hell out of him. He knew one possible explanation but he didn´t want to believe it.

Only _psionics_ could do something like that and he couldn´t be one. He was already a _master_ and a _mage_ , which was incredibly rare and probably a mutation in his DNA. But also being a _psionic_? That was way too far-fetched, it just couldn´t be.

Suddenly his phone started ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw his dad´s face.

Stiles frowned, his dad never called him while he was working. This had to be a mistake…

Or an emergency.

Stiles answered the call "Dad, what´s going on?"

"Stiles, we just got a call from a girl" said the sheriff "She cried for help and said that strange creatures were attacking her"

"Demons"

"That´s what I think too. She might still be alive" replied the sheriff "I know we can´t save her but you and Arya and Quinn can. She called from Baker-Street no. 9 two minutes ago. I can buy you some time but the police will also be there. You and your friends need to hurry"

Stiles shut his locker as fast as he could and swung his school bag over his shoulder "We´ll be there"

"Be careful, son" replied the sheriff and hung up the phone.

Stiles ran out of the school into the parking lot and then to his jeep. He started to dial Arya´s phone number as fast as he could and drove off before she even answered the phone.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles was a block away from the house his father had told him when he noticed an old car following him. Looking into the mirror, he saw the driver and the person on the passenger´s seat.

Quinn and Arya.

He turned right into Baker-Street and looked at the houses, looking for the number 9. All the houses seemed abandoned, no soul seemed to be near. Why had this girl come to this part of the city?

Finally, he spotted the house number 9 and stopped the car. He parked his jeep as fast as he could, quickly followed by Quinn and Arya´s car. He jumped out of his jeep and ran over to the door, knowing his friends were right behind him.

He closed his hand around the doorknob but it was closed.

"They´re chanting something" suddenly whispered Quinn behind him "Listen, it´s Latin"

Stiles immediately knew what to do. He reached for the magic dimension and looked inside of the house.

Like his dad had said, a girl was there, laying on the floor of the living room. She was surrounded by demons but Stiles couldn´t tell from which epoch. He also couldn´t tell if the girl was still alive.

He cut his connection with the magical dimension and looked at Arya and Quinn.

"Get back" he said.

As soon as both _masters_ made a step backwards, he ran forward as fast as he could, slamming his shoulder against the wooden door.

It hurt. It hurt a lot, but the door opened.

Stiles, Arya and Quinn ran into the most bizarre scene they could have imagined.

A redheaded girl was laying on the floor, barely conscious. A star inside of a pentagon was drawn on the floor beneath her. The black lines seemed to glow red as they reflected the light of the sun. Stiles wished he hadn´t known what that was. But he did and it just made the scene more disturbing. It was blood. A satanic symbol drawn with blood.

Surrounding the girl were demons. Stiles had never seen them before, they were women with long white dresses and long black hair. Their eyes had the colour of blood. As Quinn had said, they were singing something Stiles didn´t understand.

It only took the three _masters_ seconds to take all of this in. Seconds after they entered the room, Arya looked at them "You kill the demons, I´ll get her out"

Stiles and Quinn immediately ran forward. Quinn pulled a one-handed-sword out of its sheath and thrust it into the nearest demon.

With only a dagger in one hand, Stiles decided to act differently and reached for the magic dimension. He concentrated on the energy currents and conjured a lightning. It burst out of his hand and hit another demon-woman right in her back.

The demon disappeared in a matter of seconds. Stiles started to focus the magic around his hands again, trying to create another lightning. But before he could collect enough energy and bend it, a deep howl echoed through the abandoned house.

It pierced through Stiles´ ears, making him feel like they were going to explode. Without thinking, he covered his ears with his hands and closed his eyes tightly.

It only lasted one or two seconds but it felt like an eternity. Finally, it stopped. Stiles slowly opened his eyes and looked up.

The demons were gone just like the blood-drawing on the floor.

Arya was kneeling next to the girl, her body bent over her protectively. Quinn was standing a few meters to Stiles´ right. His sword was on the floor and he was still covering his ears, just like Stiles had done.

"What the hell was that?" asked Quinn, looking at Arya and then at Stiles.

"No idea" responded Stiles whilst he started going towards Arya and the girl "But we have to get her out of here"

He got next to the two girls and squatted down.

"She´s alright" said Arya "She´s barely conscious but she´ll make it"

"We need to get out of here" replied Stiles "I´ll carry her out"

He slid one hand beneath her knees and was about to slide his other hand beneath her neck, but the second he touched her skin a wave of nausea overwhelmed him.

The girl in front of him started to become fuzzy, just like everything else around him. Stiles looked up but couldn´t distinguish anything, the world was spinning around him. Suddenly a flash of light glowed in front of his eyes. He closed them, trying to escape the brightness. But when he opened his eyes again, he wasn´t next to the girl anymore.

 _The redheaded girl was walking down the street, totally lost in the music that came from her headphones. The sidewalk was completely empty, just like the street and the gardens in it._

 _Suddenly a dark figure appeared before the girl. She gazed at it, for a moment paralyzed. The dark fog suddenly moved. She screamed for help but no one heard her. The fog started to get a shape, becoming a woman, levitating a few centimetres above the ground, wearing a white dress._

 _The redheaded girl turned around and started to run but she didn´t come far. The demon smiled and ran after her._

 _Another flash of light cut the scene._

 _The girl woke up, lying on the floor in the middle of the living room. She had no idea where she was but she knew she had to get out of there. The adrenaline in her blood told her to run away as fast as she could._

 _She got on her feet, but before she could make one single step a laughter echoed through the room._

" _You can´t go now" said a male voice "The party is just getting started"_

 _The girl looked around her, scared. She had no idea where the voice came from._

" _Who are you?" she asked "What do you want?"_

 _A shadow stepped out of a door to her left. A hood was pulled over the man´s face, making her only able to see shadows. His body was also covered by a black cloak._

 _She stepped backwards, frightened by the figure in front of her._

" _I bet people have told you how rare red hair is, don´t they?" asked the man._

 _She shook her head "What does that…?"_

" _You see, during the 15_ _th_ _and 16_ _th_ _century people thought redheaded women were witches and burnt them" the man continued, ignoring her "You just happen to be perfect for me to bring them back"_

" _You´re crazy" said the girl "You´re a psychopath"_

 _The man laughed "Enough chit-chat, let´s get down to business"_

 _A flash of light._

 _The girl was laying again on the floor but this time the blood drawing was beneath her. She tried to keep her eyes open but for some reason her entire body just wanted to go to sleep, to give in to the darkness._

 _She heard women singing but a part of her didn´t even care. Something was wrong and she knew it, she couldn´t just fall asleep. She had to fight this feeling._

 _Suddenly, she heard something crack loudly and heard a female voice._

 _The scene was ended by one last flash of light._

Stiles blinked, trying to get out of the scenes and into reality. He looked down at the girl that was barely conscious and then at Arya. She was looking at him, frowning.

He shook his head. He could deal with whatever had happened later. Now they had to get the girl out and wait for the police.

 **Teen Wolf**

Sitting on the hood of his jeep, Stiles watched how Johnson wrote rapidly on a little notebook.

"You say you just found her like that?" the cop asked one more time "Laying inside? Alone?"

Stiles gave the man a tired look "Yes, for the thousandth time, yes"

Johnson let out a sigh and closed his notebook. He shook his head and looked at Stiles tiredly. "Look, Stiles, you gotta stop doing that"

"Doing what?"

"Spying on you dad?" replied Johnson "I know this might seem exciting for you, just like to any other teen but you might not be as lucky as you were today any other time"

Stiles frowned "What do you mean?"

"You do this all the time, don´t you?" asked Johnson "You eavesdrop on your dad´s phone calls and run into the first adventure you hear. You´ve been doing that since you were a kid. Someday you might run into something real, into something that might be dangerous"

"Did my Dad ask you to tell me this?" asked Stiles, faking innocence. He knew exactly his dad hadn´t done that, but Johnson had given him the perfect excuse for his behaviour and he wasn´t going to throw it away.

"No, but I know you since you were a kid and I just want you to be careful" replied Johnson "Can you imagine how pissed off the sheriff would be if something happened to you? You would make my work-life impossible"

Stiles laughed "I´ll try not to get killed but just to make your job more tolerable"

Johnson shook Stiles´ shoulder lightly "Why don´t you wait inside the car, I bet your dad will want to talk to you"

"You mean yell at me for coming here?" replied Stiles "Yeah, you´re probably right"

Johnson smiled at him one last time and started to walk towards the police car. Some cops were still inside of the building, looking for any clue regarding the girl´s (Stiles had discovered her name was Grace) kidnapper.

Stiles knew they wouldn´t find anything. The demons had vanished into the magical dimension, leaving no trace behind them. It would take more than magic to find something. Literally.

Stiles jumped from the hood and got inside of his jeep.

Arya, sitting in the back seat just like Quinn, coughed to get his attention "Did he believe your story?"

"Yeah, he even helped me" replied Stiles.

"What happened to Grace?" asked Quinn.

Stiles shrugged "They called an ambulance, it shouldn´t take long for it to arrive, but the police just think she was knocked out. They don´t think it´s anything serious"

"That´s good" answered Quinn "You know, she might have a concussion, she was barely conscious and she was knocked out, probably by a blow to her head…"

"Quinn, now´s not the right time" interrupted Arya "Stiles, you want to tell us what happened back there? You touched her and then your… your eyes turned white. Did you… did you have a vision?"

Stiles noticed how insecure she was. This was clearly something she hadn't expected and maybe she was hoping for it not to be real.

"I don´t know" answered Stiles "I just touched her and then I saw this flash of light and then…"

"You had a vision…" completed Quinn.

"Yeah, I think so"

Suddenly someone knocked against Stiles´ window, making the three _masters_ jump in their seats. Stiles quickly turned around and saw Derek standing there with crossed arms.

He let out a relieved sigh and turned the winder to pull the window down. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked the werewolf.

Derek´s face was as emotionless as a rock "You didn´t just _find_ the girl, did you?"

"Who is that?" suddenly asked Quinn from the back seat

"He´s a werewolf" replied Arya "The one I told you about"

"That´s cool" said Quinn, then turned to Derek "do you know how fast your metabolism is?"

Derek frowned "What? No."

"What about your white blood cells?" asked Quinn "I read you never get sick so I guess your immune system has to be extraordinary…"

"Who the hell is that?" interrupted Derek, looking at Stiles.

Stiles smiled "A friend of mine" he answered "He´s a genius pain in the butt"

Derek shook his head and let out a sigh.

"Whatever" he finally said "What happened?"

"That´s what Stiles was going to tell us before you interrupted" replied Arya.

"Excuse me?" asked Derek with a threatening tone.

"He was going to tell us what he saw" answered Arya, ignoring the menace.

Derek looked at Stiles "What did you see?"

Stiles ran his hand through his hair "You mean with my eyes? Or with my mind?"

"Of course with your eyes, how…" Derek trailed off, realizing what Stiles had just said "With your mind? How the hell would you do that?"

"I kind of had a vision"

"You…?" asked Derek "You saw what had happened?"

"Yes, this girl, Grace, she was walking when a demon appeared in front of her. Then she woke up in that house and a man said he wanted to use her to bring back the witches that had been burnt in the 15th century."

"Like the rituals you read about" said Arya "He was going to use her to summon a kind of demon from the past"

"But we stopped it" added Quinn "Which means we saved the girl and we have no witches to worry about"

"How did you stop him?" asked Derek.

Stiles shook his head "We didn´t stop _him_. He was gone by the time we got here but the demons kind of disappeared when we entered the house"

Derek nodded, thoughtfully.

"You didn´t answer my question" suddenly said Stiles "What are you doing here?"

Derek looked over his shoulder "The whole pack is here. Parish called us as soon as he saw you"

Stiles´ eyes widened. He tried to find the pack between the policemen and cars but they were nowhere to be seen. The pack was hiding from him.

"They´re here?" repeated Stiles "I swear, Derek, if they hear anything about my abilities, I´m so going to…"

"They won´t" interrupted Derek "Scott wanted to talk to you, he was about to push that cop aside to just have a word with you, but I convinced him it was better if _I_ talked to you. I think I´m right saying you wouldn't have told Scott anything"

"What are you going to tell him now?" asked Stiles.

"I´ll figure something out" replied Derek "But I won´t tell anything about you and your secret, I already promised that"

The werewolf looked over his shoulder one last time "I´ll go talk to them" he said, turned around and started to walk away from the jeep.

Quinn let out a sigh "How long must we wait here?"

"Until my dad says we can leave" replied Stiles.

"Stiles?" suddenly asked Arya.

"Yep?"

"You know you´ll have to come with us to the barracks and tell Cedric about the vision, right?"

"Yeah" replied Stiles "I´d also like to ask him some questions"

Weeks ago, he had accepted the explanation Arya had given him about his powers, but deep down he had known that there was something more. Now, after being able to talk into his father´s head and having a vision, he knew he hadn´t gotten the right answers.

Something was off about this and he was done ignoring it. He was going to ask Cedric and get some real answers. Answers about his powers and answers about their origin.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I´m sorry again for the long wait!**_

 _ **Also thank you to those people who commented. They just make my day and help me to keep writing and to improve the story! So really, really thank you. You really motivate me to keep writing and I really appreciate it:D**_

 _ **And if you´ve got something you would like to comment, please do so! I love to read the reviews and to see what you think. So of you´d like and if you have time, please leave a review :D**_

 _ **I apologize again for any spelling/ grammar mistake :D**_

 _ **Thank you again for reading :D**_ _ **Melpomene**_


	16. Chapter 16

"A man?" asked Cedric concentrated "You saw a man wearing a black cloak?"

Stiles nodded for the third time "Yes"

Cedric, sitting on a chair in front of Stiles on the other side of the huge dining table, shook his head "Did you recognize his voice? Is it someone you know?"

Stiles thought about it for a moment "I… I honestly don´t know"

Arya, sitting next to him, frowned "Come again?"

"I remember what he said" replied Stiles "But when I try to recall his voice… it just isn´t there"

"That doesn´t make sense" commented Quinn, sitting to Cedric´s right.

Cedric shook his head "Black isn´t a colour of the brotherhood. That doesn´t make sense, either"

"But it´s still something, right?" asked Arya "Stiles´ vision _does_ help us, doesn´t it"

"Probably, if we figure this out" replied Cedric.

"We know it´s a man"

"There are more than hundred men in the brotherhood, Arya" answered Cedric.

"It was the same man in my dreams" suddenly said Stiles. He didn´t know why he had come to that conclusion, but he was sure that was the case. Something inside of him just felt it.

Quinn frowned "Your dreams?"

"My nightmares" replied Stiles "The ones I had a few months ago, when you said someone was inside my mind"

Cedric opened his mouth but shut it after a few seconds. He frowned and then shook his head, lost in thoughts. Something was inside his mind and he was probably not going to tell them.

"I need to go" the _mage_ suddenly said, standing up "You may go home, Stiles but thank you for telling me about your vision"

Stiles stared at the man for a few seconds paralyzed. He was too surprised to say something for a moment. Just when Cedric was a few metres away from the entrance of the tent, Stiles quickly got on his feet.

"Aren´t you going to tell me what they mean?" he asked "I´m sure this isn´t normal"

"Stiles, this is not the right…" started Arya.

" _No_ " interrupted Stiles "I´m sorry but I want to know what´s going on. You said being a _master_ and a _mage_ was extremely rare and maybe a DNA mutation and I got that. But also having visions? I´m sure there´s something you are not telling me. Something about my abilities"

Slowly, Cedric turned around to face Stiles. He raised his arms in a helpless gesture.

"You´re right" he said tiredly "There is something I haven´t told you"

Stiles nodded "And what is it?"

Cedric sighed "I don´t know" he answered "I have no idea what´s going on with you. The moment you fought off that dragon I didn´t know what to think, Stiles. I can´t explain your powers, it´s something out of my wit. I didn´t tell you because I didn´t want to scare you"

Stiles didn´t move for a second. Was that true? He had thought, had been _sure_ Cedric knew something. That there was something he needed to know.

But looking at Cedric´s tired expression, he just couldn´t believe the man was lying.

"You sure?" he asked "Are you sure there isn´t something more? _Anything_?"

The _mage_ shook his head "I´m sorry, Stiles. Believe me, if I knew anything, I´d tell you"

Stiles nodded, still not being able to process the answers he had gotten. A voice inside of him just knew there was something more, that there was a reason for him having magical abilities. But maybe Cedric just didn´t know. He was only a man after all, he couldn´t know everything.

"Good" he finally breathed out "Thank you. For being honest, I mean"

A small smile appeared on Cedric´s face "You´re welcome" he said and walked out of the tent.

Suddenly Stiles heard something ring behind him. He turned around and saw Quinn, holding his old phone in front of his face. He smiled widely while his eyes where fixed on the screen.

"I need to go too" he said, standing up and not moving his eyes from the screen "I´m going to meet someone"

Arya looked and him "Your boyfriend?"

"He is not…!"

"So it _is_ him" interrupted Stiles "You´re meeting Benedict"

Quinn shook his head "I hate both of you" he said "I´m going to meet a friend"

"Yeah, sure" answered Arya "Have fun on your date"

Quinn looked at her annoyed for a moment. But then he just let out a sigh and walked out of the tent. Arya observed him and then laughed quietly.

"I never thought he would have a boyfriend before me"

"You´ve never had a boyfriend?" asked Stiles surprised.

Arya shrugged and got on her feet "I spend most of the time with swords. Joyeuse could count as my boyfriend if it wasn´t, you know, a sword"

Stiles smirked "What about your violin? That can also count as a boyfriend. See, now you´ve got two"

"Three, if you count the fiddlestick" she answered.

"Congratulations! You´re the winner!"

A smile spread across her face "Next time I feel down, I´ll just remember this moment and my three boyfriends"

"Always glad to help"

Arya suddenly gasped for air "There´s something I needed to show you" she said "Wait here, I´ll be right back!"

She walked quickly out of the tent, leaving Stiles alone. He stayed where he was for a moment, trying to figure out what she wanted to show him. Since the moment he had seen her in the woods fighting the vampire with her sword, he had seen something mysterious in her. She was different than other girls. Well, he didn´t know many girls that had medieval swords and fought demons.

He looked around the tent. It was the same tent he had woken up when he had been asleep for more than a day. This was the room where he had seen Arya play the violin and behind a curtain to his left was the room he had woken up in.

Out of a sudden something on the end of the table caught his attention. He walked over to it and recognized the object in a matter of seconds. It was Joyeuse in its sheath.

The last time he had taken a good look at the sword, he had known almost nothing about swords. But now that he had read a lot of books and practised with almost every kind of sword, he was fascinated by Joyeuse.

The pommel was just the right size. Not too small but neither too big, making it completely comfortable to hold. The quillons that formed the cross-guard were big enough to protect the fist perfectly but not too big to make the sword too heavy.

Stiles looked around. He was sure Arya wouldn´t mind if he held it for a moment. He closed his hand around the hilt and was about to pull the sword out of the sheath when suddenly the ground beneath his feet started to move.

Stiles quickly looked down but everything seemed normal. Pressure started to build inside his head and his throat started to burn. It felt like… like he was going to throw up.

Slowly his eyes started to lose focus. It was then when that he noticed what was going on. But before he could let go of the sword a flash of light appeared in front of his eyes and he found himself into yet another vision.

 _Arya was in the woods wearing her purple uniform. Her long black hair swung from left to right as she fought against a vampire. The levitating skeleton seemed to be having a really hard time. It dodged Arya´s blows and parried them but was defending instead of attacking._

 _Suddenly a howl echoed through the clearing, distracting the_ master _for a moment. She turned her head to her right trying to find the source but there wasn´t anything. When she turned her head back to face the vampire, she gasped surprised._

 _It was gone._

 _She lowered her sword and walked in circles in the clearing, looking for the demon. But it wasn´t there._

" _What the_ actual hell _?" she asked aloud and walked into the tree line._

 _Suddenly she heard something crash against a tree. Her head flew up as she listened for anything unusual. But, again, there was nothing._

" _Holy crap!" shouted a terrified voice "What the heck is that?"_

 _Without hesitating one moment she ran off towards the voice. Her feet broke twigs beneath her and Joyeuse cut into tree trunks, but she didn´t care. Arya knew someone was in danger._

 _Breathing heavily, she finally found the person. He, Stiles, was cornered, his back against a tree trunk and the vampire before him. Arya didn´t wait another second, she jumped between the two of them and rose her sword, paring a blow that would have killed Stiles._

 _The scene changed with a flash of light._

 _Arya was sitting in front of Cedric. The mage was on a chair behind his desk while he listened to her talking._

"… _it just left me alone. It could have struck me down but it didn´t. The vampire decided to attack_ him _instead" she was saying "I´m sure_ he _had never seen something like that, it didn´t seem like he had a connection to magic but the demon still went after him. It doesn´t make sense, it should have attacked me, I´m the_ master _that kills demons. Why would it attack a normal person instead? I´m telling you…"_

 _Cedric shook his head "Arya, stop, you´re just repeating yourself" interrupted the mage "Did you get anything from him? His name? His age? Anything?"_

 _She bit her lower lit, concentrating "He seemed to be about my age, maybe a bit older. I have no idea what his name could be. But… but he heard the howls"_

" _He heard them?" asked Cedric sceptically "Are you sure?"_

" _Yes, he did" she answered "But that would mean he has a connection to the magical dimension which he can´t have because he´s not a member of the brotherhood. It just doesn´t make…"_

 _Cedric´s eyes suddenly widened "Go get Quinn" he said "You two will need to do a lot of research tonight. I think there might be an explanation but we have to be absolutely sure"_

 _A flash of light._

 _Quinn and Arya were sitting on the floor, a lot of opened books surrounding them. Quinn´s eyes moved incredibly fast through the pages while Arya seemed to be reading a lot more calmly._

 _First, neither talked. Both were submerged in their lectures, but after a few minutes Quinn suddenly looked up and frowned._

" _You´re saying you saw a boy that heard howls" he said slowly "And you think he might be part of an ancient prophecy? Isn´t that, I don´t know, exaggerated?"_

 _Arya rolled her eyes "It was your father that had the idea, not me"_

" _But, still" he replied "He might just be a normal person. Maybe that demon was more powerful than usual and could talk into our dimension. If his voice had enough energy to create a high enough frequency, the barrier could break and…"_

" _I know what happened" he was cut off by Arya._

" _What does the prophecy say, anyway?" suddenly asked Quinn._

 _Arya rose an eyebrow "Something you don´t know? What is this; the end of the world?"_

" _Just tell me" replied Quinn, rolling his eyes._

 _Taking a deep breath and putting the book she was reading on the floor, Arya replied: "There is supposed to be someone that tries to destroy the brotherhood. Not only like our camp but all the members of every brotherhood all around the world. And someone born outside of the brotherhood is supposed to come to our rescue and stop the bad guy"_

" _Stop him?" repeated Quinn "How is he supposed to do that?"_

" _I honestly don´t know" answered Arya "That part of the prophecy doesn´t seem to make sense and well, no one has been able to decipher it"_

" _That´s all we´ve got?"_

" _Well, there´s something about a reunion of two realms but I have no idea what it means. He is also supposed to ´_ master all swords of magic _´, also no idea what that means" she replied and bit her lower lip "That´s where the name comes from, I guess"_

" _Why are you so obsessed with this? What if this prophecy_ is _true? It still wouldn´t be your problem._ Unless _…"_

 _He trailed off and grinned mockingly._

" _What?" asked Arya annoyed._

" _You said he was about your age" answered Quinn "Isn´t it possible that maybe, just maybe, you like him?"_

 _Arya blushed but immediately tried to hide it, tuning her head to her left._

" _Of course not!" she retorted "I don´t even know his name!"_

 _Another flash of light._

 _Arya was training with Quinn in the clearing that Stiles used himself to train. Both held a longsword in their hands and practised techniques to use the force of the enemy against them in slow motion. Stiles had trained those techniques himself, making it easy for him to distinguish the movements._

" _You think he will come back?" suddenly asked Arya._

" _Stiles?" replied Quinn "Of course. Sooner or later he will burn his house down and he´ll have to come to us"_

" _That´s not funny, Quinn"_

 _The boy suddenly rammed his sword on the ground "It´s the truth" he answered "He won´t be able to control his powers and eventually he´ll come"_

" _What if he doesn´t?" she asked, throwing her sword to the ground "Cedric might not want to talk about it but I´m sure it´s him. Did you see how he fought those demons off just to protect the little girl? How he created a shield? It´s him"_

" _It could just be a coincidence"_

" _It´s not" she replied and ran her hand through her hair "And if we noticed who he is, others will too and he might be in danger"_

" _Nothing will happen to him"_

" _How do you know?" she replied frustrated "We were attacked, Quinn! The entire camp was almost destroyed! All the mages had to create a giant shield to stop the demons! That´s not nothing! Someone is attacking, someone wants war! And Stiles is a weapon! If he comes to us and trains, he might be able to stop all of this! That person might try to kill him!"_

 _A flash of light._

 _Arya, Cedric and Quinn were in Eustace´s tent. Stiles was also there, laying on a lounger unconscious. Cedric sat on the lounger left to him while Arya and Quinn sat opposite to him. They were the only four people in the tent._

 _And they all were observing Stiles quietly._

" _What did you want to talk to us about?" asked Quinn, breaking the silence._

 _Cedric looked up "He´s The Swords´ Master" he said "and he´s in danger"_

" _We already knew that" replied Arya "You said it in front of all the representatives"_

" _I mentioned it" corrected Cedric "but I didn´t assure it. The entire brotherhood suspects it´s him but they can´t be sure of it. And that´s good so"_

" _Then why are you telling us?" asked Quinn._

" _Because he needs to train his abilities" answered Cedric "I need someone I know I can trust to do it and there is no one whom I trust more than both of you"_

" _What about mum?" asked Quinn._

 _Cedric shook his head "She´s visiting the camp of the brotherhood in Germany and then in France. She won´t be here for a while and I don´t think it would be convenient to ask her to come back"_

" _Wait" said suddenly Arya "I understand you trust Quinn, he´s your son, but me? I mean, I´m not your daughter"_

" _But I raised you after your parents died, Arya. You´re like a daughter to me and I trust you as if you were one" replied Cedric._

 _Quinn frowned "We are_ masters _" he stated "But he´s also a_ mage _. We can´t teach him how to be a_ mage _"_

" _That´s why I´ll also train him"_

 _Arya shook her head "But you have other things to do" she replied "You haven´t had a student for years"_

" _We have to keep his progress hidden" said Cedric "If he is The Swords´ Master, then he´ll develop astonishing abilities and we can´t let anyone know. There´s someone who´s trying to kill him and we need him alive if we want to defeat the person behind the attack and the killings"_

" _You want us to train him but don´t talk about it with anyone?" repeated Quinn._

 _Cedric nodded "Just with me" he replied "And if he starts to develop any other kind of abilities you must tell me"_

" _Should we tell him?" asked Arya "About his powers and the prophecy?"_

 _Cedric shook his head "No, we have to wait for the right moment" he replied "He can´t know anything about this"_

Stiles was thrown back to reality in the blink of an eye. The sword in his hands started to become clear again, just like the things surrounding him. Like it was on fire, Stiles let the sword fall back on the table, wanting to bring as much distance between his hands and the weapon.

He covered his face with his hands and shook desperate his head. This just couldn´t be. He couldn´t wrap his mind around it. He wasn´t the person Arya had said he was. He, Stiles Stillinski, couldn´t be part of a prophecy, couldn´t be so powerful, couldn´t be so important.

And yet it made perfect sense.

How almost all members looked at him, with curiosity but also a glimpse of fright. Why he had so many gifts and not only one. Why he had a connection to the magical dimension even though no one in his family had ever had it. How his abilities had improved so fast. Why someone had tried to kill him.

He knew it was true.

He felt it.

Stiles shook his head again. This was way too much for him to take in.

Suddenly a voice came from behind him "Here, I was thinking it might be time for you to have your own sword. I´ve got here a list of different kinds of swords we could forge but there are also some finished ones you could take a look at"

Stiles turned around and saw Arya letting a lot of lose sheets fall on the table. She was completely focused on them, trying to organize the papers.

How could she act so normal? How could she talk to Stiles while she hid such a big secret? Stiles looked at her, not knowing what to think and then lowered his head, trying to create one, only one, clear thought.

"Do you have a favourite?" she asked without looking up "I personally prefer longswords but it´s your choice, Stiles?"

She looked up at him "Stiles? What´s the problem?"

Stiles shook slightly his head without raising his head "You lied to me" he whispered.

"What?" asked Arya frowning and coming closer.

"You lied to me" repeated Stiles louder, finally looking at her "You´ve lied to me all this time"

She stayed where she was, speechless, clueless. After a few seconds her eyes found Joyeuse, half out of its sheath. It only took her another few seconds to understand what had happened.

Arya walked towards him, her face full of worriedness "What did you see, Stiles?" she asked and took Joyeuse from the table "Stiles? Talk to me"

He just shook his head "I trusted you"

"What are you talking about?" she replied "Stiles, you can still trust me, just tell me what you saw"

Stiles smiled sourly "I can _trust_ you? I can´t trust _anyone_ in here! You all just lied to me and thought I just didn´t deserve to know about your _damn_ prophecy!"

Her eyes widened suddenly "Stiles, you don´t know everything about it, you can´t…"

"I don´t know _everything_?" repeated Stiles "I´m supposed to save all of you and you didn´t _think_ it was worth mentioning?"

"It is a lot more complicated, listen, I can explain…"

"Explain _what_?" retorted Stiles "Explain why you _lied_ to me? Why you kept this a secret? Were you even going to _tell_ me?"

"Yes" she answered immediately.

"When?"

She hesitated for a moment "Someday near"

"Someday near?" Stiles repeated " _Someday_ _near_? Well, that _really_ makes everything good again"

"Please, calm down, Stiles" she said "Just listen to me…"

Stiles scoffed "Listen to you?" he asked " _Listen to_ …? How do I even know I can trust you? How do I know I can trust any of you?"

"Stiles, you know you can…"

" _Really_?" he interrupted "Because last time I checked, Cedric lied directly in my face about my powers! Even when I asked him to tell the _damn truth_! Like five minutes ago! "

"What do you want me to say?" asked Arya, suddenly raising her voice just like Stiles "We knew you would react this way! We knew you wouldn´t accept it!"

"Well, if you had told me from the beginning, I would have had no other choice!"

"You would have run off!" she retorted "You would have blocked us out of your life! You _needed_ us! You needed us to teach you how to defend yourself! You were… you _are_ still in danger!"

"Right, that´s also another thing you didn´t tell me" he replied "Someone is trying to kill me! That´s why the vampire attacked me, isn´t it? Why I had nightmares! Heck, even the harpy attack!"

Arya took a deep breath "But that person _failed_! Don´t you get it? You fought him in your mind, you killed the harpies. He can´t beat you!"

"Because I´m an almighty master of magic, or what?"

"You´re The Swords´ Master!" she answered "You know your powers are far above mine and above Cedric´s. You can put an end to this!"

"Is that why you befriended me?" he asked "Why you, Quinn, Cedric, _heck everyone_ in here is so nice to me? Because you all expect me to save you?"

"Don´t be silly!" she answered "You´re my friend, just as Quinn´s! That has nothing to do with the prophecy!"

"I honestly don´t know what to believe right now!" Stiles replied "You just appear out of nowhere in the woods, say I have some weird magical powers and now expect me to save the day? I´m no superhero. I can´t fulfil your damn prophecy!"

Stiles let out a shaking breath and walked as fast as he could out of the tent. He just wanted to get out, to go home. The friends he had thought were real, the place he had thought he belonged to. It had just been a lie. They had just used him, used him to save their asses.

He clenched his fists. How could he have been so dumb, so foolish? Thinking something so good would happen to him. It was just stupid. He was stupid.

He couldn´t fulfil that prophecy. He was nothing, he was no one. Deep down he wasn´t only angry at Arya and all the members of the brotherhood for not telling him. He was also angry at himself, disappointed in himself. He knew he wouldn´t be able to do anything, to defeat the hooded man, to save the brotherhood.

He was almost out of the camp when he heard quick footsteps behind him.

"Stiles!" shouted Arya from behind "I know you´re upset with me and I get it but you can´t run out of this!"

"I can do whatever I want!"

A hand grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn around "You want to know the truth? _Fine_! Why did your best friend become a werewolf?"

Stiles shook his head "What the hell has that ques…?"

"Just answer!"

Stiles took a deep breath "Because a psychopathic werewolf bit him!"

"Why?"

"Because we were out in the woods!"

" _Why_?"

"Because we were looking for a body!"

" _Why_?"

"Because I heard one of my dad´s calls at work!"

"And _you_ wanted to look for the body, right?"

"Yes, but that has _nothing_ to do with this!"

She shook her head incredulous " _Of course_ it has!" she said "It _all_ started because of _you_! The supernatural stuff you and your friends have been through, it all started because _you_ wanted to find that body! And that´s _exactly_ what the prophecy says! You are going to unite the two realms, the two _worlds_ ; the supernatural and magic world! You had no idea, you knew _nothing_ about the prophecy, you knew _nothing_ about us but you started doing it _years ago!_ You´re the cause of everything! You can´t run away from this! _Damn it,_ Stiles, this is your _destiny_!"

It hit Stiles harder than he would admit. What Arya was saying was the truth. But it still was too much for him, too much responsibility, too many secrets, to many lies. He just… he just needed time to sort his emotions through. He had no idea what to think.

Stiles let out a sigh "I just need time to think" he said "It´s just… it´s just… I need time"

Arya looked at him for a moment, then finally nodded "Fine" she replied "But I still have one last thing to do"

Stiles hadn´t noticed that she had been carrying Joyeuse the entire time since they had been in the tent. But now she extended her arms, offering it to him.

"Take it" she said, pointing with her kin towards the sword "If you´re going to walk away from the camp, I need to know you will have something to defend yourself with"

Stiles stared at the sword for a moment. He had no idea what to do. It was Arya´s sword, a family relic, he couldn´t just take it.

"Please" she added after noticing his silence "Just take it. Someone out there wants to see you dead. I don´t know when you plan to come back and I need to know you will be safe"

Stiles took one last look at Arya´s face and slowly closed one hand around the hilt. Immediately, he saw the blade glow white behind the sheath for a second. He closed his other hand around the sheath and looked at Arya.

"Thank you"

He was still mad at her, mad at everyone, but a part of him still appreciated this gesture. This was something he would never forget.

But right now, he just wanted to be alone.

Stiles turned around and, without looking back, walked to his jeep. He got in it and drove off as fast as he could.

He was sure it had started raining because he felt something wet on his cheek.

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya saw the figure of Stiles´ jeep disappear into the fog of the road. She had ruined everything. Stiles now knew who he was. And he hadn´t reacted well.

He wouldn´t help the brotherhood.

But most importantly, he wouldn´t want to talk to her ever again.

She knew she had lied. She knew it would have been better to tell Stiles the truth but it had scared her. Cedric had been so persistent; it had been so easy to follow his demands.

Arya started to walk back into the camp. This was it. Cedric would be out of himself after he found out. How was she going to explain…?

"Milord, the time has come" said a voice deep inside of the woods.

It was so far away that the sound was almost out of earshot, immensely dumb. The _master_ frowned and walked into the woods, trying to be as silent as possible. Her eyes were fixed on the ground beneath her while she tried to avoid steeping on anything.

After walking less than fifteen minutes, a clearing became visible behind the tree trunks. She stayed right where she was, confident that the shadows of the woods would hide her, and listened.

A hoarse voice spoke "We won´t find a better time, it´s now or never, Milord"

Silence.

"I don´t have his location but he´s hurt, he´ll be distracted" replied the voice.

Arya frowned. The person in there was talking to no one. It was standing alone in the middle of the clearing. She made a step forward, trying to get a better look at it.

"He found out the truth" continued the voice "And reacted as expected. He´s alone and a giant mess. You won´t find a better time"

Arya frowned. She just needed to make one more step forward…

She gasped for air.

A man was standing alone in the middle of the clearing. A man with giant, black, bat-like wings coming out of its back. A man with black eyes.

A demon.

An incubus.

"As you wish, Milord" it said "I won´t disappoint you. The boy will be dead before he even knows what´s after him"

Arya´s eyes widened. The demon was talking about Stiles. The demon was talking to the traitor. The demon was planning to murder Stiles.

She had to warn him.

But before she could even turn around, she felt something cold against her neck.

"Turn around slowly and don´t even think about running or fighting or I´ll shoot" said a familiar voice behind her.

Arya did as told and turned slowly around. The first thing she felt was surprise but it soon turned into anger and hate.

Holding a gun, with his finger on the trigger, stood Benedict, aiming for her chest.

The boy smiled sourly "We don´t want you to interrupt the incubus doing his job now, do we?"

* * *

 ** _Thank you for reading!_**

 ** _I really tried to put a lot of feelings in this chapter and I hope you like it and enjoy it!_**

 ** _Thank you to those people who reviewed the story! They just motivate me to keep me writing and I really, really appreciate it! It is awesome for me to read the review! I know I have said it before but they just make my day! So thank you a lot! :D_**

 ** _So, if you have something to say and you feel like it, please comment! I love to read the reviews and see what you think! Every time I read a review it´s just awesome for me!_**

 ** _I apologize for any spelling/ grammar mistakes._**

 ** _Thanks again a lot for reading :D_**

 ** _Melpomene :)_**


	17. Chapter 17

Stiles ran. He didn´t know how long he had been doing it or how many times he had circled around the lacrosse field, but he didn´t really care. He just needed to get his mind off the whole prophecy crap, and running did the job perfectly.

As soon as he had gotten into his jeep, he had known going home was out of the question. Sitting on the couch or laying on his bed would only make him _think_. And that was definitely _not_ what he wanted.

Following the first thought that had popped in his mind, he had driven to school. First he had walked in circles, but that hadn´t been enough. Cedric and Arya´s voices had still echoed in his mind, saying things about prophecies, about swords, about the brotherhood.

That was why, without thinking about it, he had started running. Just concentrating on placing one foot after another, on the burning in his lungs, on the heaviness of his legs. It worked.

As he ran, Stiles glanced at the lacrosse field. How many times had he done exactly what he was doing now? Coach had always made them run before training and Stiles had been exhausted soon after he had started. But now…, now he was running like he never had. And he knew he could keep doing it. He was sweating and his feet hurt but he knew that there was still energy left he could use.

The sun was low; it would take less than an hour to set. He knew he should be heading home by now. His dad would probably call…

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, someone that had sneaked up behind him. Without lowering his pace, Stiles prepared himself. He had left Joyeuse in his jeep but he still had the hidden dagger underneath his sleeve. He took one deep breath and recalled every fighting technique he had learnt in the last few weeks.

As fast as he could, he spun around.

The person behind him gasped surprised for air and made a quick step backwards.

Stiles soon relaxed after seeing whom he was dealing with.

Scott.

He didn´t even bother to say anything. Stiles just rolled his eyes and started running again. Talking to Scott, _heck_ talking to _anyone_ , was the last thing he wanted to do right now. An hour ago, Stiles would have panicked at Scott´s sight, but right now…, right now he had no idea what to think or what to feel.

Ignoring the werewolf seemed to be the best alternative.

Unfortunately, things didn´t go as he wanted. Stiles had only run a few metres away from Scott when he heard the alpha´s footstep behind him.

"Really, Stiles?" asked Scott "You are just going to keep running?"

Without moving his eyes from the field in front of him, Stiles bit his lower lip and fastened his steps.

"We need to talk, Stiles!" shouted Scott behind him, nearer "Just stop running away from us!"

But again, Stiles just kept running. He knew turning around and facing Scott would only make matters worse for him. His head was muddled enough right now.

"Just five minutes" said Scott who had now reached Stiles´ right side "I only want a few answers, that… _How_ are you running so fast?"

Stiles was taken by surprised by Scott´s abrupt change of topic. He looked down at his feet and suddenly noticed how fast they were moving. The urge to run away from Scott had been so strong that he subconsciously had started sprinting. A few months ago such a pace would have been impossible for him, but now, after training so much, he was able to do it.

He let out a resigned sigh and came to a stop. If he would have to talk to Scott, better to get it over with before something got out of control. As he knew from past experiences, his emotions could cause pretty massive things if they were strong enough.

"What do you want, Scott?" he asked, turning around to face the werewolf.

"What do you have to do with the brotherhood?"

Stiles´ eyes widened. He knew Derek had told them about the brotherhood and the murders but, as far as he knew, the pack should have no idea about his involvement. Scott clearly didn´t know much, he wouldn´t be asking otherwise. But his words still caused an uneasy feeling to spread across his chest.

"I know you´ve been seeing them" continued Scott, acknowledging Stiles´ silence "we just want to help stop the killings, that´s all"

"Even if you _knew_ what´s going on, I don´t think you´d be very helpful" replied Stiles honestly.

Scott raised his eyebrows "So you admit it?" he asked "You have been working with them?"

"That´s none of your business"

"I know things are a little weird between us but this is…" started Scott.

Stiles cut him off " _Weird_?" he repeated incredulous "Scott, you _threw_ me out of the pack! You said I was stupid and just a _burden_ to you! You said I was _just_ human! Why _on earth_ would I go and talk to you after finding something?"

"Because people´s lives are in danger!" retorted the werewolf "We could help! We could…!"

But Stiles didn´t catch the end of his sentence. Coming from the sky and piercing its way through his ears, came a deep growl. Stiles automatically flinched and looked up, seeking the source of the sound. For one moment, he completely forgot Scott.

" _What_ are you doing?" asked Scott still upset.

Stiles looked down at him. "You didn´t hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Scott annoyed "If you´re making stuff up just to avoid this conver…"

But exactly in that second another growl tore the reddish sky apart. Stiles automatically looked over his shoulder but found nothing.

His eyes travelled back and found a very confused Scott. Out of a sudden, Stiles understood. Scott couldn´t hear them. Only he could.

And that could only mean one thing.

Stiles looked at Scott "We need to get out of here"

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself down. She looked Benedict in the eye.

"You _sent_ that thing to kill Stiles?" she asked incredulous "That´s his job, isn´t it?"

Benedict smiled "You seriously think I´m that dumb to fall into that?" he asked derogatively "That whole _`talk to the villain to distract him´_ crap?"

Arya returned the smile "You already did"

Moving as fast as she could, she lunched forwards and grabbed the barrel of the gun with her left while snapping Benedict´s wrist away. With the gun now in her hands she made a step backwards and pointed it towards Benedict´s chest.

But the boy seemed completely calm "You´re not going to pull that trigger"

"Try me" she answered.

"Do it" he said challenging "Shoot. Kill me"

Arya let out a shaking breath. She had no idea what Benedict was up to or how he added up to this drama, but one thing was sure. He was against her, against Stiles. The idea of him dying didn´t seem to bother him.

"Why are you trying to kill Stiles?" she finally asked.

Benedict smirked "I´m not doing it"

"You know what I mean" she replied "Why is that incubus after him?"

"You already know it"

Arya fastened her hold around the grip "How did you talk to it?"

"I didn´t talk to anyone" he answered "I just happened to follow you"

Arya shook her head "Don´t lie" she replied "I heard him talking to his lord"

Out of a sudden, Benedict stepped on her foot as hard as he could. Arya groaned in pain and stumbled backwards, lowering the gun without thinking about it. She soon paid for that mistake. A clenched fist came flying towards her face. In seconds her nose exploded in pain and the gun fell out of her hands.

Before she could recover, Benedict grabbed her shirt and threw her to the ground. Arya´s back hit the grass. She gasped for air while Benedict leaned down above her.

"Who says _I´m_ the one that´s controlling the demons?" he asked smirking before taking a swing with his right hand and punching Arya´s face again.

Then everything turned black.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles reached for the magic dimension while he ran towards the school building. He felt Scott running by his side. The werewolf was probably wondering what had gotten into him but that wasn´t important right now. Stiles had to get to his jeep, get Joyeuse and bring Scott out of here.

Four human presences coming out of the school building caught his attention. He quickly looked up, wanting to see who the persons were that he had felt. To his surprise, Liam, Kira, Malia and Lydia had come out of the door and were now running towards them.

Stiles stopped running when the newcomers reached him and cut his connection to the magic dimension. He turned around and looked incredulous at Scott.

"You brought them with you?" he asked.

Scott shrugged confused "I thought you would have run off if you saw the whole pack and asked them to wait inside"

Lydia made a step forward and glanced at Stiles "Why are you running?"

"Are you running from Scott?" asked Liam, briefly looking at his alpha.

Stiles shook his head impatiently "No" he said "We need to get out of here. Quick"

"What are you talking about?" replied Scott completely lost "There´s nothing. You just started running out of the blue!"

"Something´s coming" he said, trying to put as much seriousness in his voice as he could "You don´t understand but you´re in danger, you need to…"

" _We_ are in danger?" interrupted Malia incredulous "Stiles, if _someone_ is in danger, then it´s you. We can defend ourselves pretty well"

Any other moment, Stiles would have been hurt, maybe even upset. But right now the only thing in his mind was to get them out of here. They had no idea what was really happening and he had no idea how many demons could be coming, he had no idea if he would be able to fight them off by himself. With only a dagger to make matters worse.

Stiles shook his head "You are wasting time; we don´t have…"

Out of a sudden a shadow landed behind Malia. Scott gasped for air and stepped backwards. Noticing his reaction, the rest of the pack turned around and found themselves standing in front of a tall, winged man. The demon looked at them amused with its completely black eyes.

"I was just looking for one of you" it said "But this is apparently a banquet!"

Stiles swallowed hard. He had to find a way to kill that thing before it hurt anyone. A part of him knew that supernatural creatures like the pack wouldn´t be able to defeat the demons, they couldn´t enter the magic dimension. The only problem was finding a way in which the pack didn´t see his powers.

He started to walk slowly backwards, trying to bring as much distance between him and the demon. Scott and the rest of the pack soon started to follow his example and stepped backwards, their eyes not leaving the incubus in front of him.

Suddenly three more shapes landed behind the first one. After taking a better look at them, Stiles recognized them as incubi.

A shiver ran down Stiles´ spine. He couldn´t take them all down. Not alone. Not without Arya and Quinn.

The demons started to walk slowly towards them.

"Now" said the incubus that had landed first "Which of you is _The Swords´ Master_?"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott stared at the _thing_ for one second, completely lost. What _were_ those things? He had never seen a shapeshifter like that, he hadn´t even read about it in the bestiary.

Then, suddenly, realization hit him. It was a demon. A _magical_ demon.

Feeling like he had recovered control over the situation, Scott started to shift into his werewolf form. He quickly glanced at Kira and nodded. Together they leaped forward and attacked.

Scott charged towards the first demon. Snaring, he raised his hand, taking impulse to hit the creature in the face. But the demon moved faster than him and stepped to the side, dodging with ease. Scott tried to recover his composure as fast as he could. He gave the demon a hateful look and attacked again.

This fight was different than any other he had ever had. The demon first just dodged his blows and punches, not doing anything to attack himself. Scott could have sworn he slashed one time through the creature´s chest but somehow the skin of the demon stayed perfectly fine. It was like he was throwing punches in the dark.

Then, suddenly, the demon decided to act. It moved as fast as the wind, using his wings to hit Scott. His clawed hands tried to cut into Scott´s skin, but the werewolf was able to jump back in the last second. Soon, Scott changed from offense to defence and knew he would lose. This _thing_ was just _different_ from what he normally fought. How it moved, how it attacked…

It was like from another world, something completely unknown to him.

Finally, when his arms were as heavy as lead and his legs were about to give in, he stepped backwards. His forehead was covered in sweat, his lungs burning. He couldn´t remember the last time a fight had got him into such a state.

He quickly looked around, trying to make out what was happening. Kira was still fighting another demon, but she also seemed exhausted. She cut into the demon´s chest with her sword but it didn´t seem to do any damage.

Liam was laying on the floor unconscious. The demon he had been fighting was now attacking Malia, making her fight not only against one but two creatures. Just like Scott, she seemed to be defending, jumping and steeping to the sides, avoiding the blows.

Lydia was kneeling next to Liam, trying to shake him into consciousness, but it didn´t seem to work. His pack was losing.

And he had no idea what to do.

Suddenly, something hard hit his arm, throwing him off his feet. Scott hit the ground with a loud _thumb_. Everything spun around him as he tried to sit up. Looking up, he saw the demon flying above him. A satisfied smirk on his face, his hand risen, ready to strike down.

When it suddenly, started to catch fire.

The demon cried out in pain as the flames started to consume him. It completely forgot Scott and spun around, looking for something. Finally, his eye stopped where Stiles stood.

The boy´s arms were stretched out and determination marked all over his face.

Wait.

Had Stiles done…?

The demon started to walk towards Stiles. First slowly, but faster each second. It opened its mouth as if it were growling but no sound came out.

Scott looked worried at Stiles, paralyzed.

Out of a sudden, a spark of light formed in Stiles´ palm and turned quickly into another fireball. Just when it got as big as a basketball, it flew at full speed out of Stiles´ hand and hit the demon right in its chest.

The creature immediately fell to its knees in pain and then disappeared.

Scott blinked. What the hell had just happened?

But he was soon thrown out of his thoughts when Malia cried out in pain.

She had two long slashes on her face, starting below her right eye and ending on the end of her lips. Blood slowly dropped out of the wounds. She stumbled backwards, trying to get as far away from the two demons that came threateningly towards her.

"Get down!" suddenly shouted Stiles.

And for some reason, maybe for the fright of the situation, Malia did exactly that. She squatted down as fast as she could.

At the same time two lightnings, _real_ lightnings, burst out of Stiles´ hands and flew straight into the demons back. Both of them groaned but before they could even turn around, they disappeared into the air.

"Stiles!" shouted Kira suddenly "Watch out! Behind you!"

Stiles immediately spun around and found another demon. Not more than one meter between them. Before Stiles could move, the demon raised its hand and swung it back to hit Stiles.

As fast as Scott had never seen him move, Stiles ducked and stepped aside. Out of nowhere a dagger appeared in his right hand. Without losing one second, Stiles thrust it into the demon´s stomach. The demon looked at him surprised for a moment, it opened its mouth but nothing came out. Then, it vanished.

The alpha looked at his pack and saw nothing but pure astonishment and disbelief in their eyes while they stared at Stiles.

Scott shook his head. Since when could Stiles _do_ something like that? _Throwing fireballs_ out of his hands? Firing _lightnings_? Fighting with a _dagger_?

Scott stopped for a moment.

He had heard of _one_ person with the same qualities before.

A person the sheriff knew.

Realization hit him as hard as a rock.

It had been Stiles. Stiles was the superhero.

All the hints he had collected over the past few months. Stiles meeting the brotherhood, saying they had saved his life, saying they would teach him, how he had always found a way to elude the pack, the boy and the girl that had suddenly started to hang out with him every second.

That was it. He now knew what Stiles had to do with the brotherhood.

He was one of them.

Scott got on his feet and walked over to Stiles. "Stiles…"

Out of a sudden, someone clapped behind him.

At the same time Scott and Stiles spun around, trying to see what had caused the sound, both of them on high-alert.

Standing a few meters behind them, stood a man wearing a black cloak. The hood was pulled down, showing his pale face covered by a black beard.

"Just what I expected" he said, smiling mockingly at Stiles "Now, why don´t we come to the really fun part?"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles was too surprised for a moment to do anything. Standing right before him, stood the man of his nightmares, of his vision, the man that had tried to kill him several times.

Before him stood Walter, the _psionic_.

He was so caught up in his surprise ans was so distracted that he realized the threat too late. Seconds after the man spoke, Walter raised abruptly his hand and swung it, like he was throwing a ball.

Before he knew what was happening, Stiles found himself flying off his feet, pushed by an immense force. His back hit the ground, sending waves of pain all over his body and blurring his vision. How could Walter do that?

He heard various gasps of surprise and fear. Ignoring the pain in his back, Stiles slowly tried to get on his feet, but before he could do so, another force hit him, throwing him back to the ground.

"Hey!" he heard Scott yell.

Stiles looked up and saw Scott running towards Walter, already shifted into his full werewolf form. But before he even got halfway there, Walter gave him an incredulous glare.

Immediately, Scott stopped running and cried out in pain. With closed eyes, the werewolf pressed his hands hard against his temples.

"Don´t fool yourself, boy" said Walter "You have no chance against me"

Just as Stiles, the rest of the pack looked at Scott terrified. Leaded by instincts, Liam´s eyes glowed yellow as his fangs and claws grew. Snaring, Malia also shifted, her blue eyes glowing in the dark. Together they lunched forward, attacking the man that was hurting their alpha.

But Walter didn´t move a millimetre. He just glared at both of them and before they got to him, both shapeshifters came to an abrupt halt, terror in their faces.

"I can´t see anything" said Malia panicked "What the hell did you do?"

Walter let out a laughter "Someone else against me?" he asked, looking at Kira and Lydia, the only ones still unharmed.

Stiles used the moment to his advantage and concentrated on getting into the magic dimension. He found a trashcan standing a few meters away from Walter. He focused on the energy currents around it and in seconds, the metallic object flew at full speed towards Walter, hitting him in the back of his head.

The man groaned in pain and curled into a ball, losing focus. As soon as that happened, Scott gasped for air, returning to reality as the pain left his head. Malia and Liam also blinked surprised, getting their sight back.

Stiles quickly got on his feet, this time no force stopping him.

"Run!" he shouted to the pack, knowing Walter would recover soon.

The shapeshifters didn´t need an extra invitation. As soon as the word had left his mouth, all of them started running towards the school building as fast as they could.

But before they could go very far, another three incubi landed in front of them. But this time all three of them were carrying a long, jewelled dagger.

Scott stopped just in time before running into the demons. The entire pack started to back up, slowly. They were surrounded. Right between three murderous creatures and a psychopathic mind controller.

"You distract him" suddenly said Stiles to the entire pack "I´ll take care of the demons"

Lydia looked over her shoulder to the still distracted man " _How_ are we supposed to distract him?"

"Attack at the same time" he said "He can´t fight you all and concentrate on every one of your minds at the same time"

Lydia wanted to reply something, but before she could even open her mouth, Scott and Liam were already running towards Walter. Stiles didn´t wait to see what the three girls would do and leaped forward towards the demons with his dagger in one hand.

He heard the noises of the battle behind him while he fought against the demon. But he couldn´t focus on that right now, he had to kill these demons to free the way.

The first incubus was easy to kill; Stiles was full of the energy that came out of his dagger. He parried the dagger of the incubus with his own. At the same time, he channelled the energy around him and let a lightning come out of his hand. It hit the demon´s leg in seconds. The thing stumbled backwards, but it was already too late. A grey slime formed in the corner of its eyes before it disappeared.

But Stiles didn´t get a break. Before he could catch a breath the other demon attacked, striking his dagger down to thrust it into Stiles. Following his instincts, Stiles moved his arm quickly to his right, like he was shoving something aside. Suddenly, the daggers flew out of the demon´s hands, leaving the one that had tried to attack Stiles with an empty risen hand.

Acting as fast as he could, Stiles thrust his dagger into the chest of the stunned incubus. The demon looked down at him furiously before vanishing. There was only one incubus left, Stiles suddenly knew he could do this. They would get out of this…

"I wouldn´t do that if I were you" suddenly shouted Walter behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

Stiles immediately spun around and found the worst scenario he could have imagined. Kira and Liam were kneeling on the floor, their hands pressed against their heads and their jaws clenched. They were in pain induced by the _psionic´s_ power.

Scott was pressed against the floor. He tried to get up but an invisible force always pushed him back down.

Malia was sitting next to him. Her eyes were wide but unfocused. She looked panicked around her apparently not seeing anything.

But the worst part was Lydia.

Walter had one hand closed around her neck. Lydia tried to free herself from the man´s grip but she wasn´t having any success. She tried to gasp for air but Stiles could see how she got weaker every second. She would lose consciousness soon.

"You know what the _best_ part is?" asked Walter after seeing Stiles´ terrified gaze "I can _see_ inside your head. I know what your weaknesses are. You can´t fight against someone that knows _everything_ about you"

Stiles swallowed hard "Let them go!" he shouted "This is between you and me! They did nothing!"

Walter smiled "But they´re your weakness" he replied "You might lie to yourself and say you don´t care about them anymore just because you´re afraid of getting hurt again, but _deep_ down you´d still do anything to save them. To prove yourself as _useless_ and not as the stupid, _good-for-nothing_ human you are in their eyes"

Lydia started to blink repetitively. Her hands that had been fighting against Walter´s got weaker, her movements slower. Time was running out.

"That´s why I failed at first, I didn´t attack your weak spot" continued Walter, looking at Stiles "But now, Stiles, I give you the choice. Put your dagger down and cut your connection to the magic dimension or she dies"

Stiles didn´t have to think about it twice. The whole pack had hurt him, that was true. But he still wouldn´t let them die, he wouldn´t be able to bare it. To be responsible for another death.

He threw his dagger to the side and left the magic dimension. "Now, let her go!"

Walter smiled and retrieved his hand from Lydia´s neck. She fell into a heap on the ground, rubbing her throat with one hand while she gasped for air. The knot in Stiles stomach loosened, she would be all right.

But whatever positive feelings he had perceived vanished in the blink of an eye. Suddenly two hands grabbed him from behind and pushed him back. His shoulder exploded in pain when dozens of pointy things pierced into his skin.

Stiles cried out in pain and tried to free himself from whoever was holding him still but to no avail. The things just got deeper into his skin.

As sudden as it had happened, it stopped. The strong hold on his arms disappeared as did the sharp objects penetrating his skin.

Stiles legs suddenly lost all of their strength, not being able to carry him anymore. He fell to the ground and the world started spinning around him. Using all of his strength, Stiles touched the spot in his shoulder that burnt like fire.

His fingers met something wet and warm.

It was his blood.

But it wasn´t only that. Mixed with his blood was some sort of green-greyish liquid. Stiles frowned. What was that? He looked up.

And saw the one incubus he hadn´t killed above him. A wide smile spread across its face, showing its teeth tainted with blood.

Stiles tried to get up but found that he was too weak to do it. A wave of nausea came over him and black dots started to blur his vision.

Walter came walking towards him "How long I waited for this moment" he said smirking.

"What _was_ that?" managed to ask Stiles, breathing heavily.

"Venom" replied Walter, still smiling "And it´s going to kill you, _Swords´ Master_ , slow and painfully"

Stiles opened his mouth to say something. He wanted to tell Walter he wouldn´t get away with this, he wanted to tell him Cedric would find out about his treason, he wanted to tell him the brotherhood would stop him.

But he couldn´t.

His lips refused to move.

The world around him spun one more time before Stiles was completely overwhelmed by darkness.

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott watched Stiles fell on the floor like a loose weight in horror. The _thing_ had only bitten him minutes ago but he could have sworn Stiles´ skin was already paler than normal. After Stiles lost consciousness, Walter turned around to face the pack.

"I could kill you" he said with utter indifference "But I think it´s enough winning for today. I guess it´s your lucky day"

And without saying another word he turned around and started to walk away.

Scott tried to get up as fast as he could but the same force that had pushed him down kept him on the ground. He tried again and again but no result.

Suddenly, the force vanished. Scott looked around and saw that Walter was gone. No trace of him left. Malia was blinking, looking at her hands, while Liam and Kira opened their eyes. The effects of the man´s magic had vanished.

Without waiting one more second, Scott ran over to Stiles. He shook his friend´s shoulders as hard as he could "Stiles?" he asked "Stiles, wake up! Stiles? _Stiles_!"

But Stiles was a lifeless weight. Scott could hear his heart beating and saw his chest fall and rise. But he was apparently not going to wake up soon.

Lydia suddenly came and kneeled by Stiles´ other side. Without saying a word, she leaned forward and inspected the bite on Stiles shoulder, moving his torn T-shirt carefully aside.

She looked at Scott "You..." she tried to say, but her voice was so hoarse, Scott couldn´t understand "Y… ja...k…t"

Scott frowned "My jacket?" he asked confused.

She nodded frantically. Scott quickly got rid of his leather jacket and handed it over to Lydia. She folded it into a ball and pressed it against his wound.

Scott was sure that would hurt Stiles but, again, his friend didn´t flinch. He stayed there, still, with closed eyes.

"I´m calling an ambulance" suddenly said Malia behind him.

Scott turned around and saw that the rest of the pack had fully recovered. They were all standing behind him, looking at the unconscious Stiles, having no idea what had just happened.

The alpha heard Malia telling their location over the phone and saying one person was unconscious and hurt badly. Just when she was about to hang up, Scott heard loud footsteps coming from inside the school.

He focused on his hearing. Someone was running all over the school, shouting something.

Just when he was about to tell Liam to go check it out. The backdoors of the school were thrust open. A girl with black hair looked around the field, seeking something with panic in her eyes.

She was wearing dirty purple jacket and jeans. A drop of blood had dried beneath her nose and she had a red bump on her right temple. Her heart was beating at an incredible speed like she had just run a marathon.

Her eyes suddenly met Scott´s and then travelled down to the unconscious Stiles. Her eyes widened in terror and she started sprinting towards him.

Seconds before she got where they were, Scott recognized her. It was the girl that had thrown water at Malia, it was the girl that he had seen Stiles a lot of times with in the last few months.

"She´s his friend" he told the pack, who were already preparing to attack.

The girl came to a halt just before them. She looked down at Stiles, her eyes full of horror, and covered her mouth.

"I´m too late" she said quietly and shook her head as her eyes got red "Oh my God, I´m too late"

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I know it took me a bit longer to update this time and I´m really sorry! This was one of the chapters I was most looking forward to write but for some reason that made it one of the hardest! I wanted this chapter to be like it was in my head, so I needed a bit more time and drafts to really get it like I wanted it to.**_

 _ **But I hope you liked it and enjoyed it!**_

 _ **I´m sorry for the long wait!**_

 _ **Thank you a lot for commenting! Reading the reviews just makes my day! I love to get feedback and I really, really appreciate it :D**_

 _ **I was surprise about the reaction of Benedict being the traitor, but now you see, he´s not working alone ;)**_

 _ **Please, if you have something to say, do so! I love to know what you think and, as I said before, it just makes my day to know what you think!**_

 _ **Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes!**_

 _ **Thank you again for reading!**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	18. Chapter 18

Arya waited for her phone to ring, she waited for a doctor to come into the waiting room and let her see Stiles. She waited for the realization of this just being a dream, a nightmare. She waited for waking up in her bed and knowing Stiles was fine. To know Benedict hadn´t betrayed Quinn and the entire Brotherhood. To know Benedict´s father, Walter, wasn´t the traitor.

The werewolves had told her everything. She assumed that´s what they were, she assumed they were Stiles´ other supernatural friends that had thrown him out. She assumed the five teenagers waiting by her side in the waiting room were the pack she had heard so many people talk about.

She knew this wasn´t the right place for Stiles. He should be in the brotherhood, with Eustace. If anyone knew how to cure the venom of an incubus, it was him. The paramedics that had taken Stiles away nearly twenty minutes ago, but they wouldn´t find anything, wouldn´t be able to help him.

But as much as this should have upset her, it didn´t. The moment she had seen Stiles, lying unconscious on the ground, an unfamiliar feeling had taken over her.

Numbness.

She didn´t know what she felt right now, didn´t know what to think. The only thing she wanted was to get Stiles to the brotherhood and to Eustace. But to do that she needed to wait for the paramedics to end the tests they were running on Stiles. And she needed Cedric to pick up his phone.

Suddenly, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. Arya quickly pulled it out and answered the call.

"Cedric?" she asked, hoping the _mage_ had seen all her lost calls.

But it wasn´t him.

"Arya?" asked Quinn panicked over the phone "Arya, you need to _listen_ to me. The traitor is Walter and Benedict is helping him. You have to get to Stiles and make sure he´s save, I´ll go talk to my father, but you need to…"

Arya couldn´t help but to feel relieved. Knowing Quinn had been with Benedict minutes before he had found her in the woods, had already caused thousands of images in her mind of what Benedict could have done to her friend. But hearing his voice assured her that the boy that was like a brother to her wasn´t hurt.

"Where are you?" she asked, interrupting him.

Quinn´s voice stopped for a moment. "I´m in the woods" he finally said "Benedict knocked me out and tied me to a tree but right now I´m walking back to the…"

"Walter already attacked Stiles" he was cut off by Arya "He was alone with the pack he told us about. An incubus bit him and they decided to take him to the hospital. I´m with them right now"

"You…, Oh my God…" said Quinn at the other end of the line "Stiles… when…how… how bad is he?"

Arya shook her head "I don´t know" she said "He was unconscious and pale, but…"

"You said an incubus bit him?"

"Yes" replied Arya "Why? What do you know about them?"

"Those were considered the demons of night-terrors and nightmares in the 17th to 18th century. Their poison makes people dream about…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

Arya leaned abruptly forward, understanding what it meant "They make them relive their worst nightmares"

Quinn took a deep breath "Eustace will know a way to wake him up"

"Yeah, he will" replied Arya, wanting to believe what he was saying "Listen, you need to tell Cedric everything, I don´t know how long it will take for me to be able to get Stiles out of here and to the barracks. I already called the sheriff and told him everything. He´s on his way. I´m sure he´ll help"

"Arya, call me as soon as you get anything from Stiles"

"I will" she answered. Then, she forced the question out of her lips that she was so afraid to hear the answer to "Has anyone died because of an incubus bite?"

Quinn stayed quiet for the moment, making Arya fear the worst.

But after a few seconds, he answered "Very few times. But it takes a lot of venom"

Something started to burn in Arya´s throat. She tried to swallow it but didn´t have any success.

"Thanks" she managed to breath out and hung up the phone.

 **Teen Wolf**

The sheriff walked into the emergency entrance as fast as he could without causing panic to break out. He didn´t bother to greet or look at anyone, the sheriff walked straight into the corridor that lead to the waiting room.

And faster than he had thought, he found the person he was looking for. Arya was sitting on a chair, her elbows digging into her thighs while her head leaned on her palms. Surprised, he discovered Scott sitting next to her. After letting his eyes wander through the room, he realized the entire pack was here except for Lydia.

Deciding to ignore that and focusing on what was really important right now, he strode over to the girl dressed in purple.

"Arya?" he asked "What happened to Stiles? Have the paramedics said anything? Did you get hold of Cedric? How is Stiles?"

The girl quickly looked up at the sheriff and got on her feet "The paramedics haven´t said anything about Stiles" she answered "But I talked to Quinn, he´s getting Cedric and Eustace and telling them everything. He also knew something about the demon that bit Stiles"

The sheriff looked at her with expecting eyes, telling her to continue.

"It was an incubus" added Arya "Demons of nightmares. Their venom causes people to have nightmares and if it´s enough it also can…"

She trailed off, not wanting to say the words.

But the sheriff apparently didn´t need them. He nodded and let out a sigh. Shaking his head, he rubbed his hand against his forehead.

Before the sheriff could say anything the voice of a woman coming into the waiting room, with a writing board in her hands, talked to him.

"Sheriff Stillinski?" she saked, walking towards him "I´m afraid I can´t give you the news you hoped for"

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya looked at the motionless figure of Stiles laying on the hospital bed. A monitor stood behind him, showing his heartbeat and other things Arya had no idea about. A cannula was also inserted on his arm, connecting him to a plastic bag standing next to the bed.

The sheriff was sitting on a chair next to the bed, holding his son´s hand and observing him. As Arya had expected, the paramedics had no idea what was going on with Stiles. They had analysed the results of their tests but hadn´t found anything unusual.

According to them, Stiles should be walking and talking all over the place.

But that was obviously not the case. His heartbeat had slowed down as had his breathing. All of his vitals had gotten weaker. So much that one paramedic believed he had entered a comatose state.

Arya knew they would never find out the truth. Not with the methods they were using. Stiles was poisoned by a _magical_ venom, he needed a _magical_ remedy.

She took a deep breath and walked over to the side of his bed. Stiles´ wouldn´t die. He just couldn´t. He still had a prophecy to fulfil, he still had two realms to reunite, he had a brotherhood to save. He couldn´t just go and leave everything behind. They all needed him. _She_ needed him.

Arya´s eyes started to burn. It was all her fault. If she hadn´t had that fight with him, Stiles wouldn´t have been alone in the fields and Walter wouldn´t have been able to distract him…

But Stiles hadn´t been alone.

Something started to build up inside of her stomach. Suddenly, the shock and numbness of what had happened started to disappear. Sadness, anger, frustration and appal taking their place. Stiles had had someone by his side when Walter had tried to kill him. Five supernatural creatures had been present and they still hadn´t managed to help him.

Arya clenched her fists.

Stiles had sacrificed himself for them. He had put himself into incredible danger just to save that stupid pack. The pack that had hurt him before. The pack that had looked down at Stiles, saying he was just human and useless.

But, Arya wondered, who was useless now?

Who hadn´t been able to do anything against the demons?

Who had needed to be saved?

It had not been Stiles.

And yet _he_ was now here, in the hospital, poisoned.

Arya shook her head as her emotions took over her. She quickly turned around and walked out of Stiles´ hospital room, knowing exactly where she was heading to.

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott stared at the half-eaten chocolate bar on the table in front of him. He and the pack were sitting in the cafeteria of the hospital around a table, no one saying anything. No one wanting to talk about Stiles´ state, no one wanting to even consider Stiles dying.

"Shouldn´t we go and try to talk to Arya?" suddenly asked Kira, trying to direct their thoughts into another direction "To know what Stiles has been up to these last few weeks?"

Malia shrugged her shoulders "You think she would _trust_ us?"

"We are Stiles´ friends" commented Liam "If she likes Stiles, she´ll trust his judgment and talk to us"

"I doubt she´ll want to talk to us" said Scott.

Malia frowned "Shouldn´t we ask her the most obvious question?" she asked but only got confused stares "Why does Walter want Stiles dead? He specifically targeted Stiles and we have no idea what made it so important to him"

Scott thought about it for a moment "Maybe because of…, you know…, his… the… things he can do?"

"But Derek said every member of the brotherhood had magical abilities" replied Kira "Which means having them wouldn´t make Stiles anything special"

Scott sighed. This didn´t make any sense. He couldn´t believe so much had happened to Stiles and how much he had changed. When Derek had told them about the magical world, Scott hadn´t really taken it in. He had believed it, but a part of him had never really thought about it as something utterly real he would have to face.

And now, hearing the sheriff and Arya talk about demons, the brotherhood, names Scott had never heard before, it just stunned Scott and filled him with disbelief. Thinking of Stiles, belonging there and knowing his way around that world, it was just… impossible to believe.

"We need to talk to the sheriff" he finally decided "And to Deaton and Derek, that might give us an…"

"Would you mind standing up to have a word with me?" suddenly asked a female voice behind him. Arya.

Scott gave the pack one last glance before quickly standing up and turning around to face the girl.

"What is…?" but the alpha never got to finish his sentence. A clenched fist hit his jaw at full speed.

Scott stumbled backwards, pressing one hand against the place where Arya had hit him. Waves of pain radiated from the spot. He gave the girl and incredulous glare, but her eyes were as full of fury as they were firmly set on him.

Malia quickly got on her feet.

Arya raised her hands, signalising her to stop "Don´t" she said without moving her eyes from Scott "You want answers? _Fine_ , what do you want to know?" she asked.

Scott exchanged a confused gaze with Kira and Liam. Was this girl crazy?

But Arya didn´t seem to notice their confusion and kept staring at Scott.

"You _wanna_ know that Walter had already tried to _kill_ Stiles?" she asked upset "You wanna know that Stiles had _always_ been able to defeat the demons? That he was _perfectly_ able to protect himself until _you_ showed up and ruined _everything_?"

"Hey, listen, girl, that´s not…" started Malia, making one step towards Arya. But she was quickly cut off as Arya turned around to look at her.

"Walter _used_ you to get to him!" Arya shouted at her "Stiles let all his weapons fall just because _you_ weren´t able to defend yourselves and needed to be saved by him!"

She turned around and looked at Scott "Tell me _one_ thing. _Why_ did you go to the lacrosse field?" Arya asked " _How_ did you know he was there? _What_ made you look there for him?"

Scott opened his mouth, ready to defend himself but found that… he couldn´t. Now that he thought about it, he hadn´t had any leads on Stiles´ location. Scott didn´t even really know why he had driven to that place and called the pack to meet him there.

"Let me guess" continued Arya "You _just_ did it! It was like a voice inside your mind, telling you to go meet Stiles and talk to him! Just a feeling telling you where to find him!"

"What does that concern you?" asked Liam, getting upset at the girl for talking like that at his alpha.

Arya looked at him and raised an eyebrow "Let me tell you" she replied "That voice he heard was Walter putting thoughts into his skull! He planned _everything_ that happened! It was a trap for Stiles and you were the bait! And instead of _helping_ Stiles out of it, you did _exactly_ what Walter wanted you to!"

Scott didn´t know what to reply. He looked at her with an open jaw as a familiar feeling started to spread across his chest.

"You _do_ realize that we care about him too, don´t you?" asked Kira, also getting on her feet "We didn´t want this to happen to him!"

Arya shook her head "You _care_ about him? Are you _seriously_ saying that right now?" she retorted "Let me tell you _another_ thing! The way you _treated_ Stiles, the way you _insulted_ him, it _hurt_ him. If you really _cared_ about him, you wouldn´t have thrown him out of your damn pack! Or is it that now, after he turned out to be immensely powerful, you suddenly decide to be his friends again? But _only_ after you discovered he had magical abilities? You´re all just hypocrites!"

Scott shook his head. "No, we´re _not_!" replied Scott "We´ve _always_ cared about Stiles! We might have had our disagreements and we might have made some mistakes but don´t you dare say we don´t care about him!"

" _Really_?" she asked " _Fine_ , then tell me, where were you, when Stiles needed you? When were you when Walter attacked his dreams and tried to kill him one night after another? He didn´t sleep for _days_! He was utterly exhausted! And you didn´t care, didn´t even _notice_! It wasn´t until _we_ looked for him that someone noticed something was wrong and _helped_ him!"

Scott stared at her with wide eyes. "What?" he asked, incredulous.

"You weren´t there for him!" replied Arya "And now it´s _your_ fault he´s like this! It´s your fault Walter got to him!"

Something clicked inside of Scott. Hearing that word, the word that he had already run away from for years, the word that represented the feeling that had hunted him since he had been pulled into the supernatural word, it just broke the dam.

Fault.

Anger and guilt and fury and surprise and every single feeling he had ever felt, came to the surface. He made a threatening step towards Arya, shortening the distance between them.

"Don´t you dare to say that" he said "Don´t you…"

"Are you _threatening_ me?" asked Arya incredulous "You think you can _intimidate_ me?"

And, moving as fast as no normal human could, she pushed him. The werewolf stumbled backwards, surprised by the girl´s strength. He lost his equilibrium and would have fallen if two strong hands hadn´t grabbed him from behind.

Scott looked back. The whole pack was now standing and staring at Arya angered. Liam was the one that had stopped Scott from falling and Malia was now walking towards the magical girl.

"Now, listen to me, you…" said the werecoyote, but couldn´t end because Arya quickly grabbed her wrist and forced Malia to turn around, twisting her arm.

"No, _you_ listen to…" but Arya also wasn´t able to finish for in that moment Malia freed herself from her grip and tried to punch her in the face.

Arya moved aside with ease and raised her hand to strike back, ready to…

"Arya, _that´s enough_!" suddenly shouted a male voice behind them.

Scott immediately turned around and saw an older man coming into the cafeteria. He was wearing a green coat, completely out of place.

After seeing him, Arya completely forgot Malia. She looked at the man for a moment before sighing relieved "Thank God you´re here, Cedric" she said.

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya waited outside of the room with Quinn by her side. Cedric, Eustace and the sheriff were in there while the _healer_ tried to find out how to help Stiles. Part of the pack was also here. Scott and Liam were sitting on the two chairs in the hallway. As far as Arya knew, two of the girls, Malia and Kira were in Lydia´s room. She had been taken in because of her swollen throat but had nothing really severe.

The door had been closed for nearly twenty minutes and Arya had already given them good use by telling Quinn everything that had happened.

After she finished telling him about Walter and the incubi, Quinn stared down at his feet, not saying anything. Arya waited for a moment, expecting a reaction. But Quinn seemed to be somewhere else in his thoughts.

"What happened with Benedict?" she asked, wanting to break the silence.

But she immediately noticed that her words had been a mistake. Quinn looked up at her and a saddened expression conquered his face.

"I should´ve known" he said "I should´ve guessed it was him, but I…"

Arya shook her head "It´s not your fault, Quinn" she told him "Walter and his son managed to deceive us all, just because you met him frequently, it doesn´t make it your responsibility to know what he was up to"

"You don´t understand" replied Quinn, looking back down at his feet "He… Since the first time we went out… he… he kept asking these… these questions about Stiles… First I was kind of jealous but then I convinced myself it was just the fact that Stiles was _The Swords´ Master_ and Benedict was only curious. Arya, I should´ve known… I should´ve guessed but…"

"You told him everything" she completed his sentence.

Quinn nodded "I didn´t think much of it, he just asked me questions and I just…" he shook his head "I just wanted him to like me"

"But now" he continued "Now, Stiles is poisoned and we don´t know how much venom is inside of him and all because of me, because I told Benedict everything he wanted to know"

Arya let out a deep breath. She placed her hand on Quinn´s shoulder. "It isn´t your fault, Quinn" she said "Remember what you told me when Arabella saw the intruder in Stiles´ mind? He´s not going to die, he´s still got _a lot_ to do over here"

As if on clue, the door opened and Eustace and Cedric came out. Arya and Quinn immediately strode over to them as did Scott and Liam.

"What did you find out?" asked Arya impatiently, looking at Eustace.

"Just like the doctors told the sheriff, there´s nothing wrong with his body" said the _healer_ "There seems to be no sign of what is causing his body to enter this kind of comatose sleep"

"It seems?" asked Quinn "What do you mean _it seems_?"

"There´s nothing wrong with him in this dimension" replied Eustace "But the part of him that´s connected to the magical dimension is slowly using all of his energy up while trying to fight the venom off"

"Wait" interrupted Liam, looking from Eustace to Quinn, with risen eyebrows "Magical dimension?"

Arya quickly glanced at him "That´s how magic works" she said quickly "It´s kind of where it comes from"

Quinn didn´t wait for the werewolf to answer, as soon as Arya stopped talking, he turned back to Eustace "You can heal him, right? You have an antidote, right?"

Eustace took a deep breath "I need time to figure that out" he finally said "But the venom will also need time. It attacks the mind first and then moves on to the rest of the body. As long as the venom stays in the part of Stiles that is in the magical dimension, he should stay like this. His condition shouldn´t worsen"

"But it won´t improve" commented Scott.

Cedric looked at him "We don´t need him to improve" he said calmly "We need him to hold on until we find an antidote"

Arya swallowed hard. There was one thing she needed to ask "How long do you think he´ll be able to hold on?"

Shaking his head, Eustace looked over his shoulder through the open door at the unconscious teenager. The healer kept his eyes on him for a moment before turning back to face Arya.

"If the venom doesn´t speed up?" he asked "Three days, maybe even four"

 **Teen Wolf**

The sheriff spent the rest of the night and the following day sitting by his son. Doctors came in sometimes, wanting to check on Stiles, but they still couldn´t find anything wrong with him.

John told himself that was a good sign, like Eustace had said, it meant the venom hadn´t reached the vital part of Stiles in the normal dimension. The sheriff knew almost nothing about magic and dimensions but it was the only thing he could hold onto. The only thing that assured him his son was not going to die.

Yet.

He had asked Cedric if he could help in any way. It hadn´t surprised him when the leader of the brotherhood had told him he should stay here with his son. The only thing they could do right now was to look for an antidote and Eustace and everyone they could get to help from in the brotherhood would take care of that.

Arya and Quinn had stayed with him the entire time. Not only because they didn´t want to leave Stiles out of their sight but because they needed to be here in case any other demon tried attack him again.

Kira and Liam had also left, calling Scott every now and then to see if there were any news regarding Stiles´ state. But unfortunately, there weren´t any. Only that Stiles´ vitals had gotten even weaker, him needing now an oxygen mask to breath.

Scott and Malia had also stayed in Beacon Memorial, sitting on the chair outside of Stiles´ room. They exchanged a word or two with Arya and Quinn but the sheriff was sure things were very uncomfortable between them.

Aside from all the discussions and misunderstandingss they had had, there seemed to be more to their mutual dislike. Almost like there was some force or a barrier prohibiting them to get along.

Lydia was still in her room with a bandaged throat. She had come by to see Stiles but hadn´t said anything.

Although the sheriff should have been surprised by the sudden worriedness the pack showed towards his son after the things they had told him, it didn´t really matter to him. The sheriff didn´t waste a second thinking about that. The only thing in his mind was his son and the hope of him getting better.

And thinking of ways to kill that son of a bitch that had done this to his son.

He got calls from work, his colleagues asking him to come to the station, telling him that they needed him over there. But John always told them the same, he needed to be by his son.

Finally, after he got one last desperate call from Parrish, telling him they really needed him to be there, Melissa managed to convince him to go and check it out. She told him she would take care of Stiles and call him if anything should come up.

Against his will, the sheriff decided to go. According to Eustace, Stiles wasn´t yet in any life-threatening state. He would just take a look at the reason for their calls and then drive right back to the hospital.

 **Teen Wolf**

Twenty minutes after the sheriff left, Scott was looking at Stiles´ motionless figure. He heard someone coming through the hallway into the room. Sniffing the air, he immediately recognized the person.

Seconds after, Derek walked into the room.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up" he said.

Derek didn´t say anything at first and only looked down at Stiles, taking the picture in. Only the beeping of the monitor to be heard.

"You knew, didn´t you?" asked Scott after a moment "You knew he had magical powers"

"Yeah" answered Derek, still looking down at Stiles "He accidentally created a tornado when I went to meet Cedric"

"Why didn´t you tell us?" said Scott. It wasn´t an accusation, Scott really wanted to know.

Derek shrugged "He didn´t want you to know"

"What did he tell you?" asked Scott "About what happened to him?"

"Not much" answered Derek "I got to see most of it. He was the one that discovered what Walter was up to with the sacrifices. He, Arya and Quinn were also the ones that saved that ginger"

Scott took a deep breath "He was the superhero, wasn´t he?"

Derek nodded "It was him"

Suddenly, Scott frowned and looked inquisitive at Derek "Who told you Stiles was here?"

"Arya called me" answered Derek "She told me everything that happened"

Scott raised his eyebrows "She doesn´t like me"

"If you had seen her around Stiles, you´d understand" replied Derek "She really cares about him. She isn´t probably thinking straight"

Scott stayed quiet and looked at Stiles for a moment. Arya´s words still echoed in his mind. She had probably been leaded by anger and had just wanted to let her feelings out on someone, but what she had said wasn´t entirely false.

He pushed the feeling in his chest back, tried to dig it in a corner where he would never find it.

But he already knew deep inside that he wouldn´t be able to run away from it for the rest of his life. Sooner or later, he would have to face it.

But not now.

Suddenly Quinn came running into the hospital room. His eyes examined the room quickly as he looked for someone. They finally met Derek and Scott.

"You need to come with me" he told them "You need to come with me right away"

Before any of the werewolves could reply, Quinn took off, running back into the corridor. After exchanging one quick glance, Derek and Scott ran after him.

They got to the end of the corridor and stared confused at the scene before them.

Arya was leaning against the wall, her phone on the floor next to her. The girl was covering her eyes with the tips of her fingers while she shook her head.

Malia was in front of her, her hand on Arya´s shoulder while she shook it gently "Arya, what´s going on?" the werecoyote asked "What did Cedric tell you?"

But Arya didn´t say anything.

Derek made a step towards Arya "What is it?" he asked "Arya, tell us what Cedric said"

Slowly, she looked up at him. Her eyes were red; tears ran down her cheeks.

"Eustace is dead" she finally said "Cedric just found his body in his tent"

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I hope you liked/ enjoyed this chapter! I tried to kind of focus on the two worlds meeting :)**_

 _ **I´m sorry again for the long wait!**_

 _ **I tried to put some hints regarding Scott´s reason or the background story on why he threw Stiles out of the pack. But in the next chapter there will be a part completely focusing on that because that´s something important I might have missed, as some of you have already told me ;)**_

 _ **Thank you again so much for reading! I really, really hope you like it!**_

 _ **Also thank you for letting a review! They just make my day and they really, really help me and keep me motivated! It´s for me awesome to know that actual people are reading this and to know the opinions!**_

 _ **So please, if you feel like it and if you have something to say, comment! They just make my day and it´s great to get feedback :)**_

 _ **I apologize for any grammar/ spelling mistakes!**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	19. Chapter 19

Benedict saw his reflection on the dagger as he moved a piece of cloth back and forth along its blade. Since he had been a little boy, not older than four, he had detested these weapons. Daggers, swords, axes; everything he had ever seen being wielded by any member of the brotherhood.

Seeing every kid his age playing and training, talking about their admission ceremonies while he sat in the shadows, margined for not being like them, had made that hate bloom.

Only his father, being able to read his mind, had known about the tide of emotions getting higher inside of him. And he hadn´t done anything about it. Walter had let the anger and disgust rise inside of Benedict, not doing anything to help his son find piece.

Benedict now knew, it had been his plan all along.

Because now when the time had come, Benedict could break the dam and let all his anger out, helping his father to destroy that which had made him feel stupid and worthless.

He had no idea what his father´s motives were, but he knew _damn_ straight why he was doing everything he could to see the Brotherhood of Pangea crumble to pieces. It would be one of the most pleasant things for him to watch.

But it wouldn´t bring him satisfaction.

There was one thing he still would need to see.

Which brought his thoughts back to the dagger in his hands. Benedict had never in his life chosen to use a dagger above a gun. Pistols and revolvers were made for people like him while those… _savage_ weapons were for uncivilized humans.

But today was a special occasion. He was going to do something he had wanted to do for years. And he was going to do it the best way he could, leaving a message for everyone.

Benedict knew his father wouldn´t approve. He knew, as soon as his father guessed what he had in mind, Walter wouldn´t be happy.

Just this one time, Benedict decided to disobey his father.

He looked at his reflected image on the bollock dagger and smiled. The revenge he had so long wanted would finally be his.

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya stared at her hands while she rubbed them against each other, trying to warm herself up. But she knew it wouldn´t work, the cold she felt had nothing to do with temperature.

Eustace was dead. The man that had bandaged her wounds since she was a child, the man that had been liked by everyone, the man that had always smiled.

The only man that would have known how to save Stiles.

In less than twenty-four hours she had lost two persons. As painful as the though was, Stiles also was going to die. There was nothing anyone could do for him. Walter had made sure of it.

Cedric had told her Eustace´s body had been in his tent, a puddle of blood slowly forming beneath him. He had been shot in the heart. Arya had only seen one person with a gun inside of the brotherhood.

Arya returned to reality when she noticed a familiar figure coming towards her. Quinn was coming to the table she was sitting on with one bottle of water in his hands. As soon as he arrived, he sat on the metallic chair in front of her.

The hospital was almost empty by now, only some nurses and visitors walking around the halls. It was 10 o´clock in the evening, two hours after Eustace had died.

"You need to drink something" said Quinn, putting the bottle of water in front of her.

Arya looked up at him "You think Walter planned all of this?" she asked "You think this is the beginning of the prophecy?"

"I doubt it" Quinn answered "The prophecy narrates a battle and not a man that betrays everyone and stabs them in the back"

Arya took in a deep breath "Walter will attack sooner or later" she replied "And without a healer, lots of people might die and without Stiles…, well, you know…"

"Stiles isn´t gone yet"

"But we have no way to cure him" replied Arya, her eyes starting to burn "Even if we found a spell or a potion, we would need Eustace"

Quinn stayed quite for a moment. Both knew there was nothing more to say. As bad as it was, that was the truth. And it hurt. It hurt a lot.

Arya swallowed hard and shook her head, she wasn´t going to cry again. "What now?"

"I think I should go back to the brotherhood" said quietly Quinn "I should tell my father… I should tell him everything Benedict knows. The prophecy, Stiles´ abilities, the werewolves… He´ll figure something out"

Arya nodded. She didn´t think it would help much, no one could do anything to make their situation good again. But at least it would take a weight off Quinn´s shoulders.

"Go" she told him "I´ll stay here and watch after him"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott sat inside of Stiles´ hospital room, looking at his friend. After getting the news from Eustace´s death, Arya and Quinn had needed a little time and space.

While his death had been wrecking for everyone, Scott could see how much it had affected the two magical teenagers. He didn´t know much about their brotherhood but he imagined it was an equivalent to a pack and he knew very well how it was like to lose a pack.

Scott and Derek were now with Stiles, both thinking the same but neither daring to speak.

Finally, Scott looked up a Derek "The only person that knew how to wake him up is dead"

"I know" he replied, his face as emotionless as a rock.

Scott swallowed hard "What if…?" he started but trailed off. He needed a few seconds before daring to ask the question that lay in his tongue "What if I give him the bite?"

Derek immediately turned his head to face him. "Come again?" he asked with risen eyebrows.

"The bite" Scott repeated "Turn him into a werewolf, make him able to heal himself"

For a few seconds Derek stared at Scott, motionless. Just when Scott thought Derek wasn´t going to answer, the beta turned to look back at Stiles, shaking his head.

"It wouldn´t do anything" he said "The venom is in a part of Stiles the supernatural can´t reach. If you gave him the bite and he didn´t reject it, our enhanced healing wouldn´t do much help. It would cure any damage the venom did to his body but the venom would stay inside him. In the best scenario, he would stay like this. Forever. _If_ he survived the bite"

Scott shook his head, there had to be something he could do. Something to save Stiles. The alpha tried to find desperately something inside of his mind that could help, but he had never been the smart one. It had always been Stiles. His mind was completely blank.

Just when he was about to say the bite would still serve as a last resort, the door cracked as someone pushed it open.

Melissa, wearing her nurse uniform, stepped into the room. She quickly glanced at Derek and then looked at her son. Her dull eyes were full of concern.

"The sheriff just called me" she told him "Apparently, no one else was answering his or her phone"

Scott blinked surprised. The news of Eustace´s death had been so surprising that he had completely forgotten about the sheriff. But now he noticed the sheriff had been gone for quite a while, certainly longer than he had planned. Something had to be going on.

Derek noticed Scott´s uneasy expression "What did he tell you?"

"The station has been getting calls from all over town for hours" she answered "And he´s sure it´s something magical or supernatural"

Scott frowned "What is it? What did he tell you?"

Melissa quickly glanced over her shoulder "You better look at it yourselves" she said "It´s all over the sky, you can see it from the parking lot"

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya slowly walked into Stiles´ hospital room, looking for Scott and Derek. She knew Malia had gone to check on Lydia one floor above Stiles.

The hospital was almost deserted by now, ruled by almost complete silence. Most of the patients were sleeping while most relatives had either left or fallen asleep sitting next to their loved ones. Only a few nurses and paramedics walked across the halls, doing the night-shift.

Surprisingly, Arya noticed Stiles was alone in the room. No trace of the werewolves. Carefully, she stepped inside and walked towards Stiles.

She didn´t know much about heartbeat, blood-pressure and oxygen saturation but even so, the data on the monitors scared her. Was this how it was going to end? Stiles´ heartbeat getting slower each second until it eventually stopped?

Shaking her head, Arya came closer to the bed and sat carefully down next to Stiles´ legs.

"Hey" she said quietly "You´re fighting it, right? You won´t just go and leave us alone. You´ll keep fighting until we figure something out, right?"

But not a single muscle in his body stirred. Stiles´ mouth stayed closed, covered by the plastic mask.

Arya took a deep breath "I´m sorry" she continued "I´m sorry I didn´t tell you about the whole prophecy thing. I just… I was scared… I had no idea how you would react"

"But I was wrong and you were right. You had… you _have_ the right to know everything"

Arya´s lips formed to a sad smile "When my parents died and I moved to live with Cedric, his wife and Quinn, I found loose sheets laying all over the place" she remembered "I took one of them and happened to pick the prophecy"

"I think I´m a little late but I…" she took a shaking breath "Should you… should the worst happen, I wouldn´t… I need to know I told you"

Arya took a deep breath and recalled the first line. Finally, she opened her mouth and started reciting;

" _ **At which hour our kin seeth aswoon and ado,**_

 _ **A felon who ´tis contriveth woe,**_

 _ **G´re to beest shed by hand of the foe,**_

 _ **Amongst ingraft flesh and blood,**_

 _ **Gallant swain shalth be born,**_

 _ **Whom curs´d man´s deceit nay harm shallth do.**_

 _ **Warrant shalth power his corse,**_

 _ **Withal charm as quarrel-force.**_

 _ **Master of all swords.**_

 _ **Full of prowess and nimble,**_

 _ **Countenanace fair and simple,**_

 _ **Two realms he might not but vigil.**_

 _ **Twain worlds need to meet,**_

 _ **F´r to stand ho the coming wreak,**_

 _ **That only unite canth his meat.**_

 _ **Piece shalth reign between those folk,**_

 _ **Once it´s done, his work,**_

 _ **A bond he didth wrought.**_

 _ **Whilom semov´d realms together amain to battle leave.**_

 _ **Naught beshrew shall stayeth on their feet,**_

 _ **Fighting withal hearts as fierce as heat.**_

 _ **He, the foe to perish shalth bring,**_

 _ **His own weapon hiesing ´gainst him,**_

 _ **Maketh him pay f´r his sin.**_

 _ **Wheneas thy ears hark the voice of the did foretell,**_

 _ **Thine sooth power shalth thy soul melt,**_

 _ **Giving thee the puissant spells."**_

The words ran out of her mouth without the need of her thinking twice. After the night she had found Stiles being attacked by the vampire and had done tons of research, she had read the prophecy over and over again. With time, she had memorized it entirely. First, it had been confusing and she hadn't understood all of it, but now it had become kind of clear.

Arya stared at Stiles for a moment, expecting something to happen. There was something in the prophecy about him hearing the voice of the foretold. Deep down Arya hoped for something to happen, for Stiles´ heartbeat to speed up, for his pressure to rise, for him to open his eyes.

But none of that happened.

Stiles didn´t stir. He stayed laying on the bed, motionless. Arya shook her head and suddenly realized how naive she had been. Of course, Stiles wouldn´t wake up! Those were just some words, nothing more. She had wanted Stiles to get better so bad that she completely hung on the idea of this being a solution.

Tears started to form in her eyes but she just let out a humourless laugh "I´m sorry" she said washing the tears away from her cheek "I´m just… I´m sorry"

Arya forced herself to calm down and took a deep breath after a few seconds. She focused on one point of the wall in front of her, forcing the tears back. Finally, she looked back at Stiles and without thinking about it, placed her hand on his "You won´t die" she said determined "I´ll find something and I´ll hunt those two down to hell if it´s necessary. I swear they won´t get away with this"

She looked at him for a moment and felt something stir inside of her chest, something that had been there with her since she had met him in the woods, something she hadn´t realized she felt.

But it was too late now.

Suddenly, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out and looked at the screen. She had three missed calls from the sheriff and one message from an unknown number.

Frowning, she clicked on it.

 **You and Quinn need to come to the parking lot.** _ **Now**_ **.**

 **Scott**

One second she wondered where the werewolf had gotten her number from, but that thought was soon replaced by another. What could be so urgent for Scott to send her a message?

Arya quickly walked over to the window and glanced outside of the building.

The _master_ immediately got the answer to her question.

The dark night sky was completely covered by black, gigantic clouds that could probably produce the hailstorm of the century. The streets could barely be seen through the dense, white fog.

But that wasn´t the worst about it.

Looking up, Arya glimpsed various silhouettes and shades, flying from one side of the sky to another. She knew what she would hear if she stepped outside of the building.

Demon´s howls.

She quickly glanced at Stiles´ unconscious figure before walking rapidly out of the room, going to meet Scott on the parking lot and leaving Stiles completely alone.

 **Teen Wolf**

Benedict hid behind the corner, the hood of a black sweater pulled over his face. He heard Arya´s quick steps, walking through the darkness to the opposite end of the hallway. Even after there was nothing to be heard, he waited another two minutes. Just to be sure.

Finally, he turned around and looked at his companion. "You wait here and make sure no one disturbs me"

The siren rose an eyebrow "Do I get to kill them?"

"I don´t care" replied Benedict "Just don´t let them come in"

The demon nodded, a wicked smile on its face. At first sight it was easy to see a woman, an _astonishing_ woman. Blond, curly hair ran down her back to her hips. A grey dress covered her perfectly shaped body and made her big green eyes stand up.

But after looking at the woman more carefully, the demon outshone the disguise.

The demon´s skin was green, as was its long hair. The dressed was ripped and torn in reality, barely hanging from the siren´s shoulders. The demon was wearing no shoes, letting its green fish-like toes free for everyone to see. Its face didn´t even seem human, it seemed more like a fish´s. No nose, small lips and big eyes with slits instead of pupils.

Benedict pushed a wave of repulsiveness back and turned back to the corridor. Without saying one more word, he started to walk towards the room the master had come out from. A with the dagger in his hands.

Benedict stepped into the room and saw the one person he had wanted to find.

Stiles.

The Swords´ Master.

Laying helpless in a hospital bed, his mouth and nose covered by a plastic mask, connected to diverse wires and machines. Just what Benedict had hoped.

Without losing energy holding back the smile that was now spreading on his face, he walked to the first monitor. A curve rose and sank repeatedly, showing Stiles´ weak heartbeat. A small beep accompanying every little mountain it drew.

"Now, we don´ want this to tell everyone what we´re doing, do we, Stiles?" he asked and unplugged the machine. The monitor immediately went dark and the sound ceased.

Benedict smiled "Much better" he said and walked over to Stiles´ side.

"You know, my dad would _kill_ me if he knew I was here right now" he continued "But I _really_ need to do this _._ Because you see, this isn´t _just_ about you disturbing his plans. _This_ is personal"

He pulled his hood down and casually rested his right hand that held the dagger on the hospital bed next to Stiles.

"You know why I´m even _helping_ my father?" Benedict asked "Because I want to _see_ all of those _stupid_ magical savages go down. And I want that because they always treated me like a _freak_ , like I was _worthless_. But _they_ were the ones that started to train with swords and fireballs in their childhood, _not_ me. It took me a while to understand that _I_ was the normal one and that _I_ was the one living amongst freaks"

Benedict let out a dramatic sigh "But _you_ never had to worry about that, did you? You had a nice childhood. Sure, your mother died but you still had your father and your friends"

"You wanna know what happened to _my_ mum?" he asked, leaning down "After my father found out I was normal, he blamed her, _hit_ her. No one ever found out but I _saw_ it every night. I couldn´t have been older than 5. After some time, my mother got enough and left my father. Well, she didn´t go far. She just moved to another tent with another man. They fell in love and had a _wonderful_ girl. A _very_ talented _mage_. But you want to know what happened to _me_?"

"She _never_ talked to me again, completely forgot I existed and left me with my father" he continued "But I was a _disgrace_ to him, an _abomination_. He _hated_ me and didn´t even bother to hide it. No one did. I was a _freak_ , I couldn´t play with the other kids, I couldn´t _train_ with them. I was completely alone"

"And you wanna know whose fault it was?" asked Benedict, fury all over his face " _Yours_ "

He took a deep breath and slowly removed the oxygen mask from Stiles´ face. A curve on another monitor behind Stiles immediately started to sink. His oxygen saturation.

"Magic, nature even _science_ , they all strive for one thing" he said, looking at Stiles´ pale face " _Equilibrium_. That´s what the whole universe is about"

Benedict slowly rose the dagger and placed it gently on Stiles´ cheekbone "In order for _you_ to be born with magical abilities _without_ having magical blood, someone had to be born _without_ them inside of the brotherhood" he said "It was _your_ fault. It has _always_ been your fault. You _ruined_ my life before I was even born!"

"The pain, the shame, the abuse, _everything_ was because of you!" he repeated "You _stole_ my chance to have a life, don´t you think it would be only fair to take it back?"

He smiled, finally where he had wanted to be for so long "I know you´re in pain. The venom is taking care of that, but it just _isn´t_ enough" he said, shaking his head "I _need_ the satisfaction of doing it myself. I _need_ to know that you died by _my_ hand. And to make it even better, with _your own_ stupid weapon"

"How should I do it?" he wondered aloud and placed the point of the dagger over Stiles´ chest "Should I pierce your heart?" he asked.

After a moment, he moved the dagger dawn to his stomach "Or run it right through your stomach and let you bleed out?"

"I think I´ll stick to the common way" he finally decided and let the dagger wonder up again "I´ll just slit your throat"

He looked at Stiles for a moment. His chest was barely rising and his skin seemed as pale as snow but he stayed completely motionless. Helpless. Unable to stop Benedict.

A derogatory smile formed on his lips "So much to your immense power" he laughed "This is how it ends for you. Alone. In a hospital room. Unconscious. Without having done _anything_ to help the brotherhood"

Benedict placed the dagger horizontally on Stiles´ exposed throat. He felt the skin under the blade.

"Last words?" he asked and waited a few seconds before grinning "Nothing to say? Really? Pity."

"What about, step away or you´ll draw your last breath?" suddenly asked a female voice behind him.

Benedict´s heart skipped a beat. He spun around. Arya was standing underneath the door frame, her arm raised with a small knife in her hand. It seemed small but Benedict had observed the _master_ train enough times to know Arya _never_ missed.

"You don´t have the guts to do it" replied Benedict, recovering his composure "You had your chance"

A shadow stepped behind Arya and entered the room. A tall dark-haired boy with a red shirt. His eyes were firmly set on Benedict, his fists clenched.

"You move one finger against him and _I_ ´ll take care of you" he said.

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott kept his eyes fixed on the teenager before him. He couldn´t have been older than he was but an aura of confidence and evilness surrounded him, making Scott feel unease.

"You brought back-up?" asked Benedict, looking at Arya and ignoring Scott "It´s a good thing I did too"

Scott frowned. What was he talking about?

Suddenly, Arya gasped for air behind him and pushed him further into the room. Surprised by her sudden behaviour, the werewolf stumbled forward, fighting to maintain his balance.

With his werewolf speed, he turned around and looked behind him. Arya was now showing him her back, her arm was raised, ready to attack…

A woman?

Scott was confused for a moment, why would she attack her? What was a normal, regular woman doing here? After quickly looking at Arya, he immediately noticed something was wrong. He was sure she wouldn´t act like this if it weren´t a threat.

Slowly, the woman´s factions started to shift until she turned into a green, fish-like monster.

"Sirens" said quickly Arya "I´ll take care of her, you of Benedict"

For a tenth of a second, Scott was too surprised to speak. Usually, he was the one giving orders, not receiving them. It felt strange.

But that wasn´t important right now, the werewolf nodded and turned back to face Benedict just to find him with a gun in his hands aiming for Scott. The dagger he had used was lying on the floor.

"You react pretty slow for a werewolf" he said "Go out or I´ll shoot"

Scott stayed right where he was "A bullet won´t kill me"

"But it´ll hurt a lot" replied Benedict.

Scott didn´t even bother to answer, he lunched forward as fast as only a werewolf could move, ready to disarm Benedict…

When suddenly, Arya groaned behind him and something hit the ground.

Out of reflex, he turned around. Arya was kneeling on the floor, her hands pressed hard against her ears, closing her eyes tightly. The siren stood less than a meter before her with an open mouth, as if it were screaming. But no sound came out of her mouth.

"Didn´t see that coming, did you?" asked Benedict.

Scott spun around, ready to attack the boy. He knew he couldn´t do anything against the demon but Benedict was human, he couldn´t hide in any alternate reality.

But when he turned around, he didn´t find what he had expected. Benedict wasn´t pointing the gun at him anymore. The muzzle of the gun was touching Stiles´ chest. Benedict only needed to move a finger and Stiles would die.

"Move one millimetre and I´ll kill him" he said.

His words had the exact effect he wanted. Scott halted and looked angrily from the gun to Benedict, not daring to move one muscle.

"You´ll kill him anyway"

Benedict smiled "But if you move, it´ll be your fault" he said "And that´s exactly what you´ve been running from, isn´t it?"

Scott blinked surprised, hit by Benedict´s words.

Noticing Scott´s reaction, Benedict´s grin widened "My father told me what he saw in you" he continued, shaking his head "Guilt, guilt and more guilt"

Scott´s hands started to shake, the werewolf inside of him shouting to tear that stupid boy in thousand pieces.

"That´s how it all started" continued Benedict "Everything has always been your fault. Since you turned into a werewolf, everyone around you was put in danger just because of you. But the most affected one was Stiles"

"You attacked him, tried to kill him, then you got him beaten up and possessed by a demon" said Benedict "How many people have hurt him, just because they wanted to hurt _you_? You even made him _kill_ someone in self-defence!"

Scott´s heart ran at thousand kilometres per hour. He didn´t want to listen to Benedict. His words hurt. It was like having everything hidden in the deepest corners of his mind thrown at his face.

"The feeling of guilt was so _crushing_ , you thought you would fall to pieces. You couldn´t bear it, so you started to lie to yourself. You told yourself it wasn´t _your_ fault Stiles had gone through so much. It was _him_. _You_ weren´t a bad protector, _Stiles_ was just useless and stupid"

Scott closed his eyes, his entire body shaking, his feelings crushing him. A thousand thoughts and emotions flooding his system.

"And after some time, you started to believe that crap. It was easier. It was easier to blame Stiles than to bear all the guilt. The rest was easy, you just had to convince the rest of your friends and, with even more time, they also started to believe it. To see Stiles just as a useless human"

"But now after seeing everything that´s happened, you realized it was all just a stupid façade and it all starts all over again" said Benedict "It´s your fault, it has always been and his death will be"

Scott couldn´t move, couldn´t say anything. What Benedict had said had unleashed something inside of him.

Stiles was going to die because of him. Stiles wouldn´t even be here if Scott had been able to fight the demons. And he would have been able to fight them if he had known about everything that had happened to Stiles. But he didn´t. Because he had acted without thinking and gone the easy way, pushing Stiles away. It had been his fault. Everything was.

Suddenly a high pitched shrill echoed behind him, making everyone in the room flinch. Benedict and Scott, both caught completely by surprise, looked at the door, seeking the source of the sound.

The demon that had been screaming was now levitating a few centimetres above the ground. A hand closed around its throat.

Malia looked from the siren in her hand to Benedict "I can´t kill them but I can fight them"

She turned back and threw the demon out of the room. It hit the wall of the corridor hard and stayed on the floor, motionless.

At the same time, Arya removed her hands from her ears and looked up, coming back to reality. She quickly got on her feet and looked around her.

Benedict didn´t lose calm. "you´re Malia, right?" he said "You know, my father also told me quite a lot about your thoughts, wanna know?"

Hearing those words, Scott reacted "Don´t let him talk!"

Malia frowned confused, but Arya reacted immediately. She waved her hand back and threw the knife. It flew across the room, drawing circles. In less than two seconds, the weapon hit the wall, boring into it only a few centimetres away from Benedict´s head.

The boy jumped back in fright. He ducked quickly and before anyone could react, ran out of the room, pushing Scott and Malia aside as he ran past them.

The first one to react was Malia. She didn´t waste a second and immediately took off after him. Scott and Arya quickly followed, running out of Stiles´ hospital room into the hallway.

The demon was gone.

And so was Benedict.

Arya and Scott stood alone in the corridor, not knowing where the two of them had gone.

"What now?" asked Scott.

The _master_ shook her head "You're a werewolf, can´t you sniff him out?"

"No, not here with all these chemicals" he replied "can´t you use your magic to see through the walls"

"No, I can only use it when I have an historical weapon"

Suddenly, the sound of a gun being shot tore the hallway apart. Scott immediately turned his head, his enhanced hearing telling him were the sound was coming from. Arya pulled another knife out of her boot and followed Scott´s eyes with hers.

A figure came out of a hallway, limping towards them. Arya raised her knife and Scott snarled, turning into a werewolf.

But the silhouette was no one else than Malia, forcing herself to walk towards them. Her two hands bloodied and pressed against her left thigh. She could barely stand on her feet.

Scott immediately ran towards her, wanting to help, when another person came from where Malia had come. Benedict stepped out of the shadows with a gun in his hands.

"You asked for it" he said.

In the blink of an eye, four _bangs_ echoed through the corridor and four bullets were flying towards the two shapeshifters and the _master_.

Scott knew he wouldn´t be able to get out of the bullet´s way on time. He covered his face with his arms, protecting himself, hoping the bullet wouldn´t hit any vital organ.

But the bullet never came.

Slowly, Scott looked up.

And saw one bullet levitating half a meter before his eyes. Other two had halted on the air a few meters before Arya and the last one was right in front of Malia.

Scott and Arya glanced at each other, completely surprised. The bullets stayed like that for less than a second before they fell to the ground, clinging quietly as they touched the floor.

He looked surprised at Benedict and saw his eyes, widened in fear and surprise, fixed on something behind them.

The werewolf looked back, wanting to see what surprised him so much.

Leaning with his whole weight against the wall stood a exhausted, sweaty and pale Stiles. His arm risen and his fist clenched.

"This is harder than it looks in the movies" he said tiredly after meeting Scott´s eyes.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I hoped you enjoyed and liket this chapter!**_

 _ **Thank you to all of you who left a review, they really motivate me and just make my day :D So thank you a lot!**_

 _ **I´d love to know what you think about the chapter or the story, so please if you feel like it and if you want, review!**_

 _ **They always make my day :D**_

 _ **I tried to use archaic English for the prophecy but I´m not an expert! I apologize for any mistakes or strangeness!**_

 _ **I also apologize for any grammar/ spelling mistakes :D**_

 _ **Thank you again a lot for reading!**_

 _ **Melpomene**_


	20. Chapter 20

Arya stared at Stiles, completely immobilized. The whole world around her stopped, Stiles being the only thing she could focus on. Benedict, the bullets, the werewolves; it all banished from Arya´s head. There was no place for anything else in her mind aside from Stiles.

A half-standing, awoken Stiles.

He didn´t seem healthy at all. His left hand pressed against the wall and his shoulder leaning on it, Stiles was barely standing on his feet. One of his hands was clenched to a fist and risen in front of him, his gaze fixed firmly on Benedict.

Benedict seemed as surprised as everyone. The boy just stood in his place, his jaw hanging open and the gun in his hands probably completely forgotten.

Suddenly, Stiles opened his fist and waved his hand. Following his motion, the gun flew out of Benedict´s hands. It fell hard on the ground, sliding away until it was meters away.

With now empty hands, Benedict blinked surprised, even more stunned by what had just happened. It only took him a few seconds to react. As fast as he could, the boy turned around and took off.

Before Arya could react and make a step towards him, a high-pitched scream tore the empty hallways apart.

The soundwaves reached Arya´s ears, sending agonizing waves through her entire skull. Pressing her eyes shut, she tried to escape it, to cover her ears and make the pain stop.

But it didn´t work.

Her head was going to explode.

Arya couldn´t manage one single thought, she completely forgot the world around her, submerging in the darkness and agony.

Until it stopped.

Arya thought hours had passed, even days but when she slowly opened her eyes, she noticed everyone was standing on the exact same position. Well, sort of.

She was kneeling on the floor, a single bullet laying right in front of her. His back still leaned on the wall, Stiles seemed as affected by the scream as Arya, his hands still pressed against his ears. Scott was gone, as was Benedict.

Malia was the only one that stood right in the same spot, her hands still pressed against her leg.

Moving as fast as she could, Arya got on her feet and ran over to Stiles´ confused figure. Without saying a word or even thinking about it, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Stiles´ body tensed, surprised, but in seconds he relaxed and returned the hug.

Arya couldn´t help the smile spread across her face as she heard Stiles´ steady heartbeat, felt his chest rise and fall, the warm breath coming from his lips.

He was alive.

Finally, she stepped back. Arya looked around her, returning to reality even though the hug had only lasted one second or two.

"Arya…" said Stiles slowly "What…? What happened?"

She just shook her head, suddenly realizing what Scott´s vanishing meant, just like Benedict´s. The _master_ turned her head from left to right, seeking the werewolf.

Just when she was about to open her mouth and ask Malia, who was still standing in the middle of the corridor staring at Stiles, footsteps came from behind the corner towards them.

Having no more weapon on her, Arya prepared herself to fight with her body instead of a sword. Stiles might have been alive but he was still weak and would _definitely_ not be able to fight. Malia had been shot and would probably heal but Arya had no way of knowing how long it would take for her to be able to help her in a fight.

She tensed her muscles, ready to attack whoever was coming.

Scott.

The werewolf came towards them and halted right between Stiles and Malia.

"He got away" Scott said, glancing briefly at Malia and then at Arya "His _damn_ demon distracted me and he got into a car"

Arya´s eyes widened "He can _drive_?"

Scott frowned "Yes…" he replied slowly "Why shouldn´t…?"

"Because he´s part of a hippie-clan that has no idea how to use any device invented after the 15th century" interrupted Stiles behind them "Arya barely knows how to use her phone"

Scott´s head suddenly turned to him as if he had just remembered he was there. Both stared into each other´s eyes for a moment, neither saying a word. The air was so full of tension that no one dared to move a singles muscle.

Finally, Stiles cut the staring-match and turned his head back to Arya "What happened?"

Insecure of what had just happened between the two boys, Arya briefly glanced at Scott and then at Malia before looking back to Stiles.

"Benedict tried to kill you"

Stiles still seemed even more confused "What…?"

"Benedict. Walter´s son, he…"

"I know, but…" interrupted Stiles, shaking his head "What are we doing here? And how… how do you even _know_ each other? How did _you_ know about Walter?"

Arya took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that Stiles had no idea of what had happened after he had been poisoned and lost consciousness. For him the supernatural and magical worlds should still be separated. Which wasn´t the case.

Because of him.

"After…, after you… left the brotherhood" she said, choosing her words carefully "I heard something in the woods and saw a demon, an incubus, that was planning to kill you. First I thought it had been speaking to Benedict but I think he was talking with Walter. Telethepatically. Benedict just followed me and stopped me before I could get to you"

She swallowed hard "And by the time I found you" she said "It was already too late"

"We brought you to the hospital and you´ve been here for about a day" added Scott, finally daring to talk to Stiles "The doctors and even Eustace, they thought you would die and that there was no way to wake you up"

Arya noticed how Scott manipulated the truth. Eustace would maybe have been able to find a remedy but he had died. Which had then lead to the "no way to wake Stiles up" thing. Even though she didn´t like the idea of lying to Stiles at all, she understood Scott´s motives. If Stiles found out that Benedict had killed Eustace not only because of his healing powers but also because he was the only one that could help Stiles, he would blame himself. Stiles would think Eustace´s death was his fault.

And, seeing Stiles right now, she knew that was the last thing he needed.

Stiles stared at Scott but his eyes were unfocused, as if he were completely somewhere else in his mind.

Arya slowly placed her palm on his arm "How did you… how did you wake up?"

"I don´t know" he replied after shaking his head "I was… _seeing_ these things… and then I heard your voice"

He looked at her "I heard… the _thing_ you wanted to tell me" he said carefully "I didn´t understand what it meant but it somehow got me out there. Then I heard muffled voices and then I heard you and Scott talking. I got up and saw Benedict with a gun and you and…"

Stiles trailed off, shaking his head like there was nothing more to say.

But Arya knew that wasn´t the case.

The way Stiles had clenched his fist and twisted his wrist, that was not how a mage moved things. Stiles hadn´t bent energy currents to his will, it was like the gun and the bullets had had a direct connection to him. Like a part of him had been touching those things, giving him power over them.

That was how a _psionic_ moved things. With his _mind_.

She opened her mouth, wanting to question Stiles when he pressed his fingers against his temple and drew a grimace.

"What´s wrong?" she asked immediately "Does it hurt? How do you feel?"

Scott also made an immediate step towards Stiles, his arms spread, ready to catch him, should he lose his balance and fall.

But Stiles quickly shook his head and retracted his hand "I´m fine" he replied "It´s nothing"

Scott gave him a sceptical look and didn´t move a millimetre "Tell the truth"

"I´m serious" repeated Stiles "It´s nothing. There´s just this buzzing in my ear but it´s nothing"

"You need to lay down" Arya said after a few seconds of silence "And maybe even sleep. You need rest"

"I´m perfectly sound, I don´t need to rest, thank you very much" replied Stiles automatically.

Arya rose her eyebrows "Fine" she said "That means you can stand without leaning on the wall, doesn´t it?"

Just like she had intended, Stiles got the hidden challenge in her words. He placed his hands briefly behind him, ready to push himself up. After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally let his hands fall to his sides, giving up and looked at Arya.

"I hate you"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott stood next to Stiles´ bed, staring at his friend, still not believing that he wasn´t asleep. Stiles was completely and utterly exhausted, that was easy to recognize. But even so, Scott could hear his heartbeat. It was almost beating at normal speed and colour was slowly returning to his cheeks.

He wanted to ask what the thing was Arya had told Stiles, what had woken him up, but he didn´t quite know how to talk to Stiles. Throughout this entire time, he hadn't really thought about how things would be between them if Stiles woke up.

Was Stiles still mad at him? Would Stiles talk to him again now that Scott knew about this whole magic thing? Should he apologize? But how?

Most importantly, had he heard what Benedict had said? His voice still echoed through Scott´s mind, repeating always the same, telling him how…

Scott shook his head. He could deal with that later, right now he needed to focus on Stiles´ health.

Arya sat down on the end of Stiles´ bed after helping him into a half- laying halt-sitting position. Malia had already gone to Lydia, saying she wanted to tell her the good news, but Scott wasn´t so sure that was the case.

Malia had been also pretty set on the idea of Stiles´ not fitting into the pack. Scott had now sort of realized why he had acted and thought the way he had, but Malia?

Maybe she just wanted to run away from this encounter.

"You were saying" said Stiles, tearing Scott out of his thoughts "Benedict tried to kill me?"

Arya nodded slowly "We left you alone in the room for a while and he took advantage of it" she explained "He was about to kill you when we got here and stopped him"

" _You_?" asked Stiles incredulous "You _two_? Like _together_? Team work?"

Scott was about to reply when he understood what Stiles had said. Since Stiles had entered the hospital something had changed. No one had really noticed but somehow the two worlds had come to peace. With scepticism and distrust at first, holding back, but now… Scott wouldn´t say he was besties with Arya but he didn´t feel rejection towards him anymore.

That was something.

"Yes" replied Arya, also knowing what it meant " _Together_. To save you"

Stiles swallowed hard, like her words had a different meaning, like Arya had just said something terrifying.

Yawning, Stiles glanced at Scott. Then his eyes suddenly widened and he tried to push himself up. Arya immediately got up and tried to push him back.

"My dad" said suddenly Stiles "my dad. Where is he? Does he know I´m here? I need to tell him I´m fine, he is probably…"

"Stiles, calm down" said Arya "He´s at the police station. Something came up"

"What came up?" he asked worried "What happened? Why isn´t he here?"

Arya looked to the side, clearly not wanting to say anything. Stiles frowned and looked at her expectantly. After not getting any answer from her, he turned his head to Scott.

"What´s going on?" he asked.

"Walter is preparing his attack" suddenly said Arya "There are demons flying all over the sky, messing with the energy currents and causing all sort of things"

"The police have been getting a lot of calls" added Scott "TVs that turn off and on out of nowhere, lights flickering all over the city, dark figures appearing and disappearing, lightning inthe sky, things heating up out of nowhere…"

"But he´s alright then?" asked Stiles, not giving in "My dad. He isn´t hurt or anything?"

Arya shook her head "He´s completely fine"

Slowly, Stiles started to nod and lent back down. Scott suddenly noticed the bags under his eyes and how his lids occasionally fell closed, Stiles shaking the tiredness off.

"You know when Walter plans to attack?" he asked Arya.

She shook her head "Cedric thinks he´s just trying to intimidate the brotherhood" she replied "No demon has attacked yet, they´re getting into formation in the woods. _Mages_ are creating shields and the children are being brought to somewhere safe but..." she shrugged her shoulders in a helpless gesture "I don´t think anyone really _believes_ we have a chance against the army. Thousands of demons controlled by one man and, you know, the prophecy and y..."

"How long has this been going on?" interrupted Stiles, not letting Arya finish.

"One hour, maybe two?"

"Derek is on his way to the station" added Scott "They´ll try to figure a way out to help them"

Arya took a deep breath. "Quinn promised he´d call me as soon as something came up" she said "Right now, there´s not much we can do"

Stiles tried again to get up, this time more slowly. Arya, still standing by his side, tried to push his shoulders back down.

"Arya, they _need_ me" he said firmly "They need to know I´m fine. You know how much that would help. You said it yourself…"

"I know what I said" interrupted Arya "And I´m glad you accepted things but right now you need to rest. You won´t be of much help if you are half asleep"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles slowly opened his eyes, not knowing how much time had passed since he had fallen asleep. After refusing to go sleep for quite a while, he had finally given in to Arya and Scott´s words and fallen asleep seconds after he closed his eyes.

As he opened his eyes, light immediately flooded his vision. Stiles pressed his eyes shut, trying to escape the brightness. Almost at the same time, a shadow came over Stiles.

"Son?" asked the sheriff´s voice above him "Stiles? Are you awake?"

Stiles carefully tried to open his eyes again, slower this time, and saw his father´s face, staring down at him.

Using all the strength he could find, Stiles tried to sit up. Two strong hands immediately rushed to his help. Looking to his other side, Stiles found Derek. Arya standing by his side, smiling at him.

"I thought you were at the station" he said when he finally managed to sit up.

"Believe me, son, as soon as Arya told me you were awake I let Parish in charge and…"

The sheriff´s voice started to become muffled as the buzzing in his ears that had bothered him since he had woken up got louder and louder, drowning almost any other sound around him.

Stiles closed his eyes and tried to push it back, but it was impossible. Soon, the sound started to come from everywhere.

"Stiles?" he heard Arya ask somewhere far away "Are you all right?"

But Stiles wasn´t even sure he had heard her, there was just so much static in his ears, so many pitches and so many different noises. He shook his head.

Out of a sudden, he realized what that buzzing inside of his head was.

Voices.

Voices talking all at the same time. Each one of them loaded with different emotions, each one of them sounding completely different to the other. Some were louder and some were quitter. All of them in his brain, talking at the same time.

Stiles clenched his fists and pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes. He tried to push them back, but the voices only got more intense.

" _He can´t be…"_

" _I´m sure mommy will be all right…"_

" _We´ll need to run some diagnostic tests to make sure…"_

" _God, they´re going to operate me…"_

" _I´m going to die…!"_

" _I can´t leave my kids, not now…"_

" _She´s going into cardiac arrest!"_

Stiles couldn´t control them. But it wasn't just the voices, each and every voice was accompanied by a tide of emotions. Emotions Stiles was able to distinguish, feeling a glimpse of each one of them.

Stiles' body began to shake. He couldn´t take this.

 **Teen Wolf**

Arya stared at Stiles, having no idea what was happening. He was pressing his hands against his eyes, quiet groans escaping his lips, his entire body shaking.

First she thought it was the venom. The venom that was maybe still coursing through his veins. The venom that hadn´t completely worn off. The venom that had almost killed him.

Maybe this was some sort of aftermath, some kind of side-effect.

The sheriff shook his son´s shoulder, gently at first but harsher after every second his son didn´t react. Derek stared at the two of them before he turned to face Arya.

"What is it?" he asked worried.

But Arya just managed to shake her head.

"Stiles? Son? Can you hear me?" asked the sheriff " _Stiles_?"

But Stiles stayed right the way he was, half curled into a ball.

Suddenly his lips opened and a something came out of them, so quiet no one understood.

Arya and Derek exchanged a confused look, neither knowing how to help.

"Th-the voices" Stiles repeated with a trembling voice "M-make them stop"

"What are you…" started the sheriff, looking helplessly up at Derek and Arya.

Suddenly, something clicked inside of Arya. A part of the prophecy and something Quinn had said long ago. The way he had moved the gun and bullets. Everything came together.

Stiles was a _psionic_.

And he was hearing everyone´s thoughts.

"Stiles" she said with a firm voice "They´re coming from the magic dimension. You need to cut your connection to it"

But Stiles didn´t hear her. How would he? There were hundreds of voices inside of his head right now.

Arya shook her head, not giving in "Stiles, cut the connection" she repeated "You need to let go of the magic dimension"

But, once again, it didn´t work.

Not knowing what else to do, Arya just kept repeating the same sentences over and over again, hoping Stiles would eventually listen to her. She could just pray for Stiles to hear her because she had no other idea how to get him back to reality.

Seconds passed, then one minute, _two_ minutes. Just when Arya was about to give up, Stiles took a deep breath. Out of instinct, Arya also held her breath, glaring at Stiles.

As if he was awakening from a dream, Stiles´ eyes slowly opened, him breathing heavily.

He didn't seem to notice the four pairs of eyes completely set on him. With shaking hands, he ran his hand through his hair.

"What the hell was that?" asked the sheriff, not being able to hold his concern back anymore.

Stiles looked up at him "I don´t…"

"His powers" Arya interrupted "I think the same… _thing_ that made him able to heal himself also expanded his powers"

Stiles frowned "I _healed_ myself?"

Arya glanced insecurely at the sheriff and the at Derek. She had sort of come up with an explanation but she didn´t know if it would be appropriate. When they had talked to Scott, she had noticed how Stiles had avoided anything concerning the prophecy and his role in it. Maybe he also didn´t want them to know about all of this.

The sheriff rose an eyebrow "Well?" he asked incisively.

Arya hesitated, looking back at Stiles, trying to ask him silently what to do. It took him a second, but he soon realized what she wanted from him. Clearly giving in against his will, Stiles nodded slightly in her direction.

Arya sighed and took one last look at the werewolf and the policeman in the room with her before looking back to Stiles.

"When I recited the prophecy, I think I might have triggered something" she explained, talking slowly "The last part says something about harking a voice of the foretold and getting the puissants spells. I think by hearing it, your magic kind of…"

"…changed?" asked Stiles.

But Arya shook her head " _Evolved_ "

The sheriff shook his hands in front of them "Stop there for a minute" he said uncalmly "Prophecy? Puissants spells? What the _hell_ is that, Stiles?"

"Dad, I can explain…"

"Did you _hide_ something from me?" the sheriff continued "There´s also a _prophecy_ involved in this and that made you able to _heal_ yourself?"

"Dad…"

"You´re somehow part of a prophecy and you didn´t tell me? I thought we had agreed to…"

" _Dad_ " repeated Stiles, raising his voice to get his father´s attention.

But things didn´t work out exactly like he wanted.

In the exact same second, something shattered next to Stiles´ bed. The sound of breaking glass filled the room for a second, making everyone jump out of their skins.

Glancing at the spot where the sound had come from, Arya saw a lamp.

Its lightbulb completely shattered.

Everything stayed quiet for a moment.

Finally, Derek looked at Stiles "Did you just make a lightbulb _explode_?"

Stiles kept starring at the lamp "I didn´t…" he stuttered "I couldn´t… I thought I had it under control by now"

"What under control?" asked Derek.

"His powers" replied Arya "They´re linked to his emotions"

The sheriff looked confused at his son "You can´t control them?"

Stiles seemed confused for a moment, not knowing what to say. "I could" he said "I mean, I can. I trained and…"

Derek raised an eyebrow "You said his powers evolved?" he asked Arya.

She nodded.

"What if that´s part of it?" he asked.

Arya bit her lower lip, thinking hard. She wished Quinn was here, he would figure everything out in a matter of seconds.

"There was something about true powers" she finally said slowly "And using all of the swords of charm. I think the prophecy gave you the final push to unlock all of your abilities"

Stiles frowned "Which means?"

Arya took a deep breath "You can master all swords of magic" she repeated "A mage, master, seer, psionic, healer; you´re all of them"

Stiles only stared at her for an entire minute.

"What?" was the only thing he managed to get out.

"Think about it" she continued "We already know you´re a _master_ and a _mage_. Then, you had a vision and started to be able to use your mind like…, you know. You got the power to heal yourself just like any other _healer_. And there are probably more things you can do but haven´t tried. Unseen, necromants, venti; other kinds of magic no one in our brotherhood can control. You should be able to use all of them"

Stiles just stared at her, incredulous. She knew it was a lot to take in, but that was the only explanation she could come up with. If Stiles already knew he was destined to save the brotherhood, realizing _how_ shouldn´t be too big of a surprise, right?

Derek crossed his arms "That´s good, isn´t it?" he asked "If Stiles can do all of that, he can stop Walter"

Arya hated what she was about to say.

"There´s still a problem" she started "Stiles gained the abilities, but…"

"That doesn´t mean I can use them" concluded Stiles "It took me months to get along with swords and energy currents, even having someone teaching me. But now we neither have time nor someone that has any idea about the powers"

 **Teen Wolf**

Quinn stood in front of Cedric´s desk, trying to help his father organize things for the upcoming battle. Because everyone knew; there was an attack coming and the brotherhood wouldn´t go down without a fight.

 _Mages_ had already started to create an electrical shield around the brotherhood, buying them a little more time for when the demons attacked. _Masters_ had already sharpened their swords and weapons, waiting. Arabella, the _seer_ , had tried to foresee the battle but failed. Right now, she was with Rowan, trying to find Walter´s and Benedict´s location. Without luck.

Godiva had taken responsibility for the children, bringing them out into a safe place in the woods. She and a few other members would stay there and protect them.

Quinn had been the only one left his father trusted enough to share all this knowledge with. Which was the reason of the two of them, standing on opposite sides of the wooden desk, looking down at various papers. A map of the brotherhood, one copy of the prophecy, a list of members…

The young _master_ couldn´t help but feel guilty about all of this, he knew part of this was his fault and even though he had come here with the purpose of telling his father everything, he just couldn´t find the courage in him to do it.

Benedict had had the absolute certainty of Stiles being _The Swords´ Master_ , he had known everything about the progress he had made, all about his abilities. Quinn had told him every last detail concerning Stiles and he hadn´t even really noticed when or how.

Benedict had played and fooled him. Just like he had done with everyone else.

And yet he couldn´t help the warm feeling in his chest when he recalled how the boy had accidentally touched his arm, or laughed with him, how Benedict had listened to him while he babbled about science. When their lips had met.

A small part of him wanted to believe it hadn´t all been a lie. That there was still some good in Benedict. But he was too smart to fool himself.

"Quinn?" asked Cedric, bringing him back from his thoughts "Are you listening to me?"

Quinn nodded immediately "Yeah, yeah, of course"

Cedric kept his eyes on him for a moment before looking back down at the map "Walter is smart, he´ll try to attack the _mages_ first to bring all the shields down"

"But he knows you´re thinking he will do that" replied Quinn "And he´ll do the exact opposite and attack where we expect it at least"

Cedric nodded and kept his gaze fixed on the map, like trying to find the solution to this mess on the sheets of paper.

Quinn sighed "But he´ll know we know he would attack us where we expect it at least. So, he won´t do that and attack the _mages_ , but then he´ll know…"

"It´s a vicious cycle" interrupted Cedric "We could keep going on like this for hours. We´ll have to try our luck on this one"

"What if we narrow his options down?" suggested Quinn "What if we don´t give him a choice but to attack where _we_ want to?"

Cedric nodded, but Quinn immediately recognized his father wasn´t listening to him anymore. He was somewhere completely else in thoughts.

"How many demons does Walter have?" the _mage_ finally asked.

Quinn shrugged "He killed about two dozen people which means he´ll have at least twenty-four groups of demons by his side"

"At least?"

"Well, Walter started to plan all of this years ago" Quinn said "Maybe he has already been killing people for a long time but not in the area to avoid attention. And when he thought the moment had come, he just started to do it over here"

"We have no idea what we´re up against" sighed Cedric "Without Stiles and without Eustace… this will be a massacre"

 **Teen Wolf**

Scott walked into the room just in time to interrupt Stiles´ conversation with the doctor. The white-dressed tall man was standing in front of Stiles´ bed, looking at the boy incredulously.

"And you don´t remember _anything_?" he asked "Absolute _nothing_?"

Stiles shook his head "I remember driving to school but that´s it"

"What about during the comatose state?" the doctor asked "Did you _hear_ something? _Dream_ something?"

At those words, Stiles muscles immediately tensed, but only Scott caught it. Stiles was pretty good hiding things, he realized. Neither the sheriff, nor Arya nor Derek nor the doctor noticed anything.

"Nope, nothing" Stiles lied.

The doctor sighed frustrated and shook his head. "I have no idea what happened to you and how your state improved so quickly" he admitted "I honestly thought we were going to lose you"

"Nah, I´ve still got some mischief to cause around here"

"I´d like to keep you here for at least another two days" the doctor said "Just to make sure everything´s all right"

This time Stiles wasn´t able to hide his emotions. His disappointment could be read all over his face.

The doctor smiled at him "You should be glad you´re alive" he said "Don´t ask too much from your body, Stiles. You need time to recover"

Stiles nodded slightly, giving him his way, but Scott knew Stiles wasn´t nearly as calm as he tried to make everyone believe.

Taking Stiles´ reaction positively, the doctor asked him a few more questions and told him and the sheriff another few things. None of them which seemed to matter right now. Scott was aware that every assumption anyone here had made regarding Stiles´ health, was way off from the truth. Well, he couldn´t blame them for that, they had no idea there was an alternate dimension which controlled magic. That was kind of disadvantageous.

Finally, after a couple of minutes Dr Wells, as Scott discovered, left the room, still not being able to believe what had happened to his patient. Shaking his head, he left the room, promising to come back in a couple of hours to check on Stiles.

Scott, who had waited leaning on the doorframe this whole time, waited for the doctor´s footsteps to fade completely, until he walked into the room and walked up next to Derek.

Stiles noticed his appearance and glanced at him quickly, not knowing exactly how to interact with him. Scott totally understood, he also had no idea how things were between them. Last they had talked to each other, they had had a fight and Scott had accused Stiles of hiding things from him. But next thing he knew, Stiles had saved his life not once but twice. He had also had someone yell all of his emotions in front of Stiles and he had no idea whether Stiles had been awake by that time to get the entire conversation.

Deciding to follow Stiles´ lead, Scott quickly looked at him before turning his head to face Derek. "What now?"

"Now, we wait for Stiles to recover" replied the sheriff "And hope Walter doesn´t attack ´till then"

Stiles shook his head "He will. He´ll try to attack while…" Stiles trailed off, like he had been about to say something he shouldn´t "… while he´s still got that advantage on his side"

Scott frowned. What was Stiles talking about? And why did he have the feeling everyone knew what was going on aside from him?

"But he might not know" said Arya "Maybe Benedict acted without his permission"

"You can´t know that"

"Why do you _always_ have to be a pessimist?" she asked frustrated.

Stiles rose an eyebrow "I´m a _realist_ "

"Any news from Cedric?" intervened the sheriff, changing the topic of conversation.

Arya shook her head "Nothing" she said "But with all of the demons surrounding the brotherhood and preparing for the attack, I highly doubt anyone will get any reception. Demons messing with energy and electricity or so"

A hint of a smile appeared on Derek´s face "You have no idea how a phone works, do you?"

"I had other priorities" she retorted

Stiles shook his head "Even with electricity not being involved, she´s right. They won´t be able to call us"

Scott observed what was happening before him silently. He felt left out. Seeing them talk and discuss about things he had no idea about, it was just weird. Now he was the one that felt out of place.

"They won´t have any way to tell us when it begins" concluded Arya.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders "Then there´s only one thing we can do, right?" he asked "We must go there and help"

The sheriff immediately shook his head "No way that´s happening. You are staying here until I say otherwise"

"Dad…"

"No, Stiles" the sheriff insisted, not letting his son finish "You were in a coma six hours ago, you barely had a pulse. I´m not letting you anywhere"

Stiles moved the bed sheets away and sat at the edge of the bed "I´m going"

"Stiles, if you set _one_ foot outside of this building, I´ll cuff you myself to this bed, there´s no…"

"Dad, I have to go" interrupted Stiles, calm but firmly "You just heard what Arya explained. We need to be there. _I_ need to be there. You know what will happen if we stay here. We can´t let Walter win and there´s only _one_ way to make sure he doesn´t and you know that can´t happen if I´m not there. Innocent people might die"

The sheriff stared at Stiles, not saying anything. Scott didn´t quite understand everything Stiles had said but he knew that feeling. He knew how it was to feel responsible for something, to carry the loads that came with abnormal abilities such as lycanthropy and magic. Even though he also wanted Stiles to stay here safe, he wouldn´t stop him from going.

Arya cleared her throat, making all four people in the room look at her "I really dislike the idea but I think Stiles is right" she said "I only want him to be safe but this is something far bigger than him"

The sheriff looked at Derek, seeking help, but the werewolf just shrugged his shoulders. He clearly didn´t want to get between them and wouldn´t pick a side.

Finally, the sheriff sighed frustrated and covered his forehead with his palm. He looked at Stiles and nodded slightly, giving in.

Scott suddenly had enough of all of this, he couldn´t stand feeling like an intruder "I guess I´ll go help Parish with the…"

"Actually…" interrupted Stiles, glancing briefly at Arya and then looking Scott in the eye "I think it we´ll need your help. From the entire pack"

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**_

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 _ **Again, I really hope you liked the chapter :D**_

 _ **Thank you again for reading!**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	21. Chapter 21

Breaking someone out of a hospital turned out to be far easier than Stiles thought it would be. He knew the doctors wouldn´t let him leave just like that. Whether it was honest concern for his well-being or for the money keeping him here would bring, Stiles didn´t know, but one way or the other, walking out of the front door wasn´t an option.

First, he had to change from the blue-white hospital robe to his normal clothes. Then, he had to find an emergency exit and walk out. And that was it.

No James Bond persecution, no doctor luring behind a corner, no hiding from nurses. Stiles realized through this whole process that he had to stop watching so many action movies. The hospital was so saturated and full of life by that time, that Stiles could have easily ran through the halls, waving his arms, and no one would´ve done anything to stop him.

Granted, having the sheriff and Melissa to help him made things less difficult. But it still had been remarkably easier than Stiles would have expected.

Sooner than he realized, he was standing in the parking lot next to Derek´s black Camaro. Scott and Arya standing by the owner of the car´s side. His dad had left before Stiles had gotten out of the hospital, saying he wouldn´t know anything about Stiles should Dr Wells ask. He did, however, tell Stiles he should better stay safe or he would make sure Stiles never came out of their house again. After hugging his son, he had left the hospital and headed to the police station where his help was still needed.

Standing now in the parking lot, Stiles remembered something.

"Your sword" he said, then turned to face Arya "Joyeuse, it´s in my jeep. We need…"

But Arya just turned around and opened the passenger's door. She leant down and pulled something out of under the conductor´s seat.

Joyeuse.

Stiles frowned "Where did you get it from?"

"Quinn went to get it when you were still unconscious" she explained "We had a feeling we´d need it"

She extended her arms, holding the sword like she had done in what seemed an eternity ago in the brotherhood "You´ll need it more than me"

"And don´t you dare to say no" she added quickly before Stiles could open his mouth "It´s just for today, I have a feeling you´ll get your own magical sword pretty soon"

"You said there were only four" he said confused "And that you didn´t know…"

"Just take it" she interrupted "I´ll explain everything later"

Stiles hesitated for a moment, doubting if he should really take it. Last time he had had Joyeuse, he hadn´t given it use. Maybe he didn´t deserve to hold such a sword if he wasn´t good enough to fight with it. But looking at it and then at Arya, he promised himself he would do things right this time.

This time he would use the sword, this time he wouldn´t hold back because he was afraid of what the pack would think, this time he wouldn´t be blinded by his emotions and this time he wouldn´t let Walter win.

He closed his hands around the sword´s sheath and took it. Arya smiled at him briefly and then, without a word got into the back seat.

Scott gave him a confused frown, but didn´t say anything. Stiles wondered when they would talk to each other again, but Scott quickly followed Arya into the car and shut the door behind him.

It was still hard for him to see them both together, sitting next to each other in the same vehicle. He would have never imagined things would turned out to be like this, that the two worlds would meet and that he would be the one connecting them.

Still thinking about it, Stiles started walking around the car, heading to the co-pilot's seat. But before he could pass the driver´s door, a hand wrapped around his upper-arm, holding him back with a strong grip.

Acting out of instinct Stiles immediately spun around.

And saw Derek.

The werewolf nodded "You´re getting better"

"What?"

"You can walk and your reflexes are getting better. You´re almost fully recovered" Derek explained.

"You´re crazy, sourwolf"

Derek quickly peeked inside the car, looking at Arya and Scott who were apparently talking to each other. It seemed a little bit awkward but it was still enough to make Stiles raise an eyebrow in surprise.

But Derek seemed to be pleased with their conversation, almost like he didn´t want them to get what he was about to say.

"You know what will be waiting there for you, don´t you?" he finally asked.

Stiles furrowed his brows, not understanding where that came from. He had no idea what Derek intended with those words.

"You mean the thousand demons and the weird mind-reader that want me dead?" he asked.

Derek shook his head and sighed "No" he said "I mean what _people_ will be expecting from you"

His frown deepened as he got even more confused.

"I don´t know if Arya is aware of it or not" continued Derek after noticing Stiles´ reaction "But, Stiles, when you show up over there, they´ll expect you to _lead_ them, to _guide_ them to victory, to _save_ them"

Stiles shook lightly his head "I hadn´t…"

"They´ve always believed _the Swords´ Master_ would arrive when they needed him the most and save them" Derek interrupted "And now that time has come"

Stiles´ eves suddenly widened "You _knew_ about it" he realized "You _knew_ about this whole prophecy thing and you didn´t _tell_ me"

"It wasn´t my secret to tell" replied Derek calmly.

Stiles was about to open his mouth and complain, but something in Derek´s words made him stop for a moment and think. He had heard the same words come out of his mouth, just in another context. The werewolf had said those words to Stiles, assuring him he wouldn´t tell the pack about his powers.

He nodded, accepting it. Maybe things had happened the way they had for a certain reason and maybe it wasn´t anyone´s fault.

Derek let go of his arm "I just want you to be aware of what will be waiting there for you" he said and got into the car.

Stiles swallowed hard. He really hadn´t thought what his role in this would mean in full extent, all the responsibilities that it would entail. But, being realistic, what choice did he have other than to go through with it?

 **Teen Wolf**

As it turns out, there couldn´t be one hour where everything went as planned without something getting in their way. One moment, Stiles was staring out of the windshield and, in the next moment, a dark animal-like creature appeared in the middle of the road. Its pointed teeth glowing in the light of dawn, just like its eyes as red as blood.

Derek abruptly steered the wheel to his right, trying to avoid hitting the animal but lost total control of the car. The camero kept heading towards the side of the road where a line of trees started. Not being able to stop the car, they found themselves crashing into them.

It all happened so fast, Stiles only caught blurs of colours before he felt the impact pushing him forward, his seat belt being the only thing keeping him from flying out of the car. Not fully realizing what had happened, Stiles only heard his fast heartbeat in his ears. It took him a second to react and for the knot of fear in his chest to loosen.

"What the _hell_ was that!?" asked Scott from the back seat, also not fully recovered from the shock.

Derek cursed next to Stiles "A _damn_ dog"

"A damn _dog_?" asked Arya incredulous "We crashed into a stupid tree because of a _damn_ dog?"

Stiles opened his mouth, wanting to tell his friends what he had seen. That was not a dog. He had only caught a quick glimpse but he was utterly sure, that was no animal you could pet.

Before he could speak, however, a howl made its way to his ears. It sounded almost like a werewolf´s but there was something in it; something threatening that send shivers down Stiles´ spine.

It was quiet and brief but enough to confirm Stiles´ suspicion. Without saying a word, he opened the car´s door and got out of it. He tried to scan his surroundings, looking for a sign of any demon but couldn´t find anything in the dim light of dawn.

The other three doors opened quickly. The two werewolves and the _master_ quickly joined Stiles. Arya didn´t even bother to say anything, just like Stiles, her eyes wondered through the landscape, seeking the owner of the howl.

Scott and Derek on the other side, were completely surprised by Stiles sudden behaviour and looked at him with confused stares.

"What was _that_ for?" asked Derek, his eyes still fixed on Stiles.

"A demon" replied Stiles, letting his hand fall on the hilt of Joyeuse, fastened around his hip "I heard him. That wasn´t a dog, it was a…"

Scott shook his head "You _heard_ him?" he repeated "I didn´t hear anything and I have _pretty_ good…"

"The sound came from the magic dimension" interrupted Arya, still observing her surroundings "You can´t hear it, but _we_ can. We have a connection to it"

The alpha didn´t say a word, but Stiles saw the spark in his eyes as his mind slowly started to understand and realize how many things this very sentence explained.

Out of a sudden, Stiles saw something glow behind Derek. Following his instincts, he reached out for the magic dimension, wanting to find out what it was.

But the moment he entered the magic dimension, something felt different. The normally smooth and gentle currents flowing around him, hit him and pushed him, as if he were fighting against a stream. Their force was huge and every single thing felt as if it had been highlighted with the same glaring colour a thousand times over and over again. There was just so much to take in, it simply just overwhelmed Stiles, not letting him focus on anything.

Frightened, Stiles stepped back to reality as fast as he could but he couldn´t avoid touching one current. Before he even knew what he had done, a ball of light formed in front of his eyes and exploded as fast as it had formed.

Stiles stumbled backwards and tried to cover his eyes with his forearm, hearing the surprised cries of his friends. When the light was gone, Stiles immediately looked back to the place where the two shining objects had been but only found utter darkness.

Arya was kneeling next to the car, using it as protection against the explosion. She slowly got back on her feet and, breathing heavily, looked at Stiles.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

Stiles shook his head "I didn´t" he replied "not on purpose, I just wanted to see what was going on… but… I… I don´t know what…"

Thinking more clearly, Stiles started to feel panic grow in his chest. What had happened? He had felt in complete loss of control just like a few months ago when he had started to use his powers. But he had trained so much, it was just… It wasn´t logical. Why wouldn´t he be able to manage his powers after he had practised so much? Was something wrong with him? Was he losing his powers?

But he knew that was not it. If anything, his powers had gotten stronger. Everything had felt so intense, so strong, so vivid. It was like going into a 4D movie with digital sound.

"Guys?" asked Scott from the other side of the car "We might have a bigger problem"

Arya and Stiles exchanged a glance before going over to the other side of the car where Derek and Scott stood.

Facing half a dozen of weird looking wolves.

Standing on their four paws, black fur tainted with a reddish-glowing substance Stiles hoped wasn´t blood, they snarled at them. Their paws were incredibly big, as were their crawls. Orange and white smoke come out of the demons glowing red eyes, making it seem like their sockets were literally burning.

Saliva and the liquid, Stiles hoped wasn´t blood, fell in little drops out of their mouth.

"What the fuck is that?" asked Scott, his eyes not leaving the demons.

Stiles looked at Arya, expecting an answer but she seemed as clueless and terrified as her companions.

"I don´t know" she replied, shaking her head "I´ve never…"

Another howl interrupted her, coming from the tallest wolf. It stared at her before slowly starting to walk towards them, his pack following him.

Stiles pulled Joyeuse out of its sheath and pointed it towards the wolf. As soon as his hand closed around the hilt, the blade glowed in a bright white, making the demons back off.

He hadn´t planned for that to happen, but he had to admit he was glad he had pulled the sword out. Surprisingly, the blade didn´t change colour as it did when Arya held it. Its glare stayed bright white. Stiles felt the familiar energy flooding his system. His senses heightened, preparing to fight.

Arya had two knives in her hands. Stiles wondered quietly where she got all her weapons from. Each and every time, she was fully loaded with something to fight demons with.

Scott and Derek seemed quite surprised by Stiles´ glowing sword but didn´t lose focus on the real important thing. The murderous wolves in front of them.

Even having Joyeuse, Arya and the werewolves by his side, Stiles doubted they would be able to fight all the demons off. Not without his powers as a _mage_ and he was absolute certain he had no control over them right now.

"They´re wolves" he said as an idea came to his mind "Scott, maybe if you could shift and…"

But he wasn´t able to finish for in that second the dark figures leapt forward, recovering from the fright the sword had induced.

Stiles immediately rose Joyeuse and deflected one demon to the side, throwing him against Derek´s car. He noticed how Arya ran to the side, one demon following her, how Scott shifted into his werewolf form and wrestled with a second one. Derek was gone, an impressive , black wolf where he had stood, radiating authority and power. He had shifted into full wolf and was now also struggling with a last demon, moving each second further away from the car. Whether on purpose or not, Stiles couldn´t tell.

But Stiles didn´t have much time to see the development of their fights for another two wolves were coming towards him. The one he had hit with the sword laid still on the floor, disturbed.

Not wanting to wait, Stiles decided to act. As fast as he could, he made a step towards the nearest demon, raising his sword. The wolf reacted almost as quick and move to the side, getting out of Stiles´ range.

Out of a sudden, while he was still concentrated on the wolf before him, something his him hard on his side, throwing him off his feet. In seconds, Stiles found himself lying with his back on the floor, a black, blood dripping snout hovering above him.

The demon snapped down, aiming for Stiles´ nose. Thinking quickly, Stiles held his sword up horizontally, one hand around the hilt and the other around the blade, blocking the animal.

The demon tried to get to Stiles, ignoring the blade holding it back and digging into its throat. As the wolf tried to bite Stiles one time after another, the sword became harder to hold. Stiles´ arms started to shake as the demon´s attacks became stronger.

Knowing if he stayed like this, he would die, Stiles decided to act. Using all the force he could find in him, he moved his arms to the side, forcing the wolf off his chest. The demon rolled to the side. Not wasting a second, Stiles got on his feet and rammed the sword into the demon´s body.

As it happened with any other demon, it vanished in a matter of seconds.

Not having time to catch his breath, the last of the three wolves attacked him. But this time Stiles moved faster and cut the demon´s skin in mid-air. As soon as the demon landed on its unhurt side, it also vanished.

Stiles suddenly noticed the wolf that had initially attacked him, staring at him with curiosity. As soon as the demon met Stiles´ gaze, it rose its head towards the sky and howled deeply.

The demons remaining immediately stopped attacking Derek and Scott. Both ran to his pack leader´s side and together they ran into the woods.

Arya quickly came up by his side. She had also killed one demon but not without gaining two short scratches in one side of her face.

"Now we can be sure Walter knows you´re alive" she said, starring into the spot where the demons had disappeared into the dark "His demons will tell him"

Before Stiles could reply, Scott also arrived to his side, his shirt torn.

"I _hit_ the thing over ten times" he said "But I just couldn't hurt…"

Stiles nodded "I know" he interrupted.

Something moved on the other side of the car and soon enough, Derek rose from behind it. Only wearing his black trousers.

"You turn into a wolf wearing pants?" Stiles blurted out before he knew what he was saying.

"Of course not" replied Derek, slightly annoyed "I just put them on"

Turning his head back to Arya, Stiles saw her peeking into the woods, maybe looking for the demons. Her knives were hidden in her boots again so Stiles decided it would be safe to slide Joyeuse back in its sheath.

"If I were you I wouldn´t go in there" he told her "God knows how many demons Walter summoned"

Arya shook her head and sighed "What makes you think they´re all going to be here?"

Silence.

"What?" finally asked Scott the question the three of them were thinking.

"I´m just saying" she said "Walter is supposed to destroy not only this brotherhood but every single one of them all around the world. Maybe we´re fighting only against a small part of his army, maybe there are a lot more demons all over the world"

Stiles had already thought about that but tried to supress that idea. Hearing it right now didn´t make it any easier to accept the truth.

Derek furrowed his eyebrows "There are more brotherhoods?"

"All over the world" replied Stiles "At least one in each country. It´s basically the same as this one but, you know, other cultures; other demons"

"And Walter wants to bring them all down" said Arya.

Out of a sudden, Stiles felt something trying to dig its way into his mind. It was reaching towards him from somewhere Stiles couldn't identify. He gasped for air and stumbled backwards, pressing his eyes shut.

Out of instinct, he fought against it, but soon something started to buzz in his ears just like in the hospital. Someone closed his hands around Stiles´ arms, keeping him from falling as his knees were almost giving in.

"Stiles?" said Derek "The voices? Are the voices back?"

But Stiles couldn´t find the force to respond. He was already using all of his energy holding the buzzing back and fighting against the weird sensation scratching the surface of his mind.

For one second, Stiles lost focus and the feeling finally got into his mind. Stiles knew it was coming from the magic dimension but it didn´t feel like a current at all. He groaned in pain and tried to push the intruder back but to no avail.

" _You really turned out to be a fighter"_ said Walter´s voice inside his head _"I guess it´s my fault, I should´ve killed you right away"_

Stiles shook his head rapidly, trying to shake him out but he couldn´t. He felt something warm touching his hands but he couldn't perceive anything outside of where hid mind was.

" _I won´t make the same mistake again"_ kept Walter talking _"How did you wake up? What antidote did you take?"_

Stiles didn´t answer and forced himself to think about nothing, not wanting to let Walter see anything.

Someone shook Stiles´ shoulders _"Stiles_? Are the voices back?" repeated Derek.

He only managed to shake his head slightly.

" _What_ is it?" asked Arya " _What_ _s_ happening?"

" _I wonder how you are supposed to defeat me"_ commented Walter in his mind _"You can´t control any of your powers, you´re as useless as you were at the beginning"_

Stiles took a deep breath and forced the word out of his lips "Walter"

He heard his friends gasp surprised for air but didn´t catch much of what happened next for Walter started to talk again.

" _You´ll only get everyone killed"_ he said _"Just as always. They´ll try to protect you, thinking you´re their salvation. But you know as well as I do that, right now, you´re completely helpless. The only thing you can control is that stupid sword and it won´t help you. Not to win against me"_

Stiles heard him laugh inside of his mind, making shivers run down his spine _"It would´ve been better for everyone if you had died in the hospital"_ Walter continued _"They´ll all die anyway. You´ll just give them hope but I´ll crush it entirely. That´ll just hurt them more. And concerning your friends…"_

Stiles shook his head, his breathing speeded up. He just wanted Walter to _get out_.

" _If you had died when you were supposed to, I would have spared them but now… I don´t know what I´ll do. Maybe let you watch how I kill them? Or maybe kill you first? Or I could have a chit-chat with you about the things the venom made you see? I bet that´d be interesting"_

Stiles´ body started to tremble, but not of fright or panic as usual. No, there was another feeling giving him new strength.

Determination and anger.

" _Get out"_ he thought and knew he had projected it into Walter´s head.

" _No need to be so rude"_ Walter replied _"I´m just being realistic, that´s how you like things to be, don´t you? To always see everything as it is? Well, I´m going to bring the brotherhood down and you´ll die before you stop me"_

" _Why?"_ asked Stiles _"What did they ever do to you?"_

Walter laughed _"You´ll understand my reasons soon enough"_ he replied _"After all, you´re about to go through the same thing I did"_

And with those words, he left Stiles´ head. Feeling like he had control over his own perceptions again, Stiles blocked his connection to that part of the magic dimension and the buzzing immediately stopped.

Returning to reality, Stiles slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself sitting on the wet grass, Derek kneeling behind him and holding his arms to keep him straight. Arya had crouched down in front of him and was holding his hands in hers. Scott was behind Arya, looking at him worried.

Stiles felt his strength recover and tried to sit upright by his own. He managed to do it and Derek immediately let go of his arms.

"What happened?" asked Scott.

"Walter definitely knows I´m alive" Stiles said "He only wanted to scare me"

Arya squeezed Stiles´ hands lightly "What did he say?"

Stiles shook his head and tried to get up. To his surprise, no one tried to stop him.

"He said things to mess with me" he replied "It´s nothing. We need to get to the brotherhood fast"

They stared at him sceptically for a moment. Silence ruling over the four of them. Stiles trying to supress Walter´s words echoing through his mind.

Finally, Derek sighed and shook his head "That´ll be difficult" he replied "The engine won´t start"

 **Teen Wolf**

Walking on a road was bad enough, but it didn´t compare to walking on a rode _hunted_ by evil wolves that could jump out of the shadows anytime. The only good thing in their situation was that all of them could walk rather quickly because of their various abilities.

Thus, it only took them a little past half an hour to get to the meeting point Scott had agreed with the rest of the pack. Stiles had to admit, he wasn´t entirely happy about it. This whole reencounter was rather uncomfortable for him.

He had saved the pack, yes, but that didn´t mean he had forgiven them. Or had he? Having all the prophecy crap all over his mind, he really didn´t know what he was feeling. Malia had saved his life and Scott had stayed by his side the entire time he had been unconscious. But they had also called him useless and just human. What was he supposed to think?

Shaking his head, Stiles decided to direct his thought to another direction. He glanced at Arya who was walking by his side, peeking occasionally into the forest.

"How do the powers of a _psionic_ work?" he asked the burning question in his thoughts.

Arya looked at him surprised "What?"

"A _psionic_ " he repeated "How does that work?"

"I don´t know much" Arya replied shrugging "Only what Quinn and Cedric told me"

Stiles noticed how Scott and Derek, both walking in front of them, exchanged a look and Stiles knew they were going to listen to Arya with full attention.

"I think they can kind of stretch their mind through the magic dimension" she explained "I don´t know how, but by doing that they can touch other people´s minds and thus hear thoughts and talk to them telepathically"

"But he can move things" intervened Stiles.

"They can also do that but not with currents" she said "They use the magic dimension as an extension of their mind and move things that way. A _mage_ can simply dive into the magic dimension and use the currents to move objects but _psionics_ can do it with only thinking about it and one single body motion to support his thoughts"

"What about the mind reading?" continued Stiles asking "You said Walter couldn´t stalk you in the bathroom"

A smile grin appeared on Arya´s face after hearing Stiles´ words "Yes, he can´t stalk you while you´re doing your business"

"Why?"

"Because even with his powers your mind has to be kind of unprotected for him to enter" she explained "There´s a way you can learn to build a wall and don´t let him come in"

Stiles frowned "Why didn´t anyone teach me how to do that?"

"You already have, well _had_ , one" Arya answered "When Arabella saw your nightmares, she and Walter told Cedric they got the intruder out and built the wall inside your mind. Cedric was planning to teach you how do it yourself, but not until he was sure you had your gifts under control"

Derek glanced back at her "Walter _helped_ Stiles?" he asked incredulous "I would have expected him to _work_ with the person in Stiles´ nightmares"

"It _was_ him" automatically said Stiles "I don´t know why I wasn´t able to recognize his voice in real life but I´m sure it was him"

"You mean _he_ got _himself_ out of your head?" asked Scott confused.

Arya shrugged her shoulders "I think he didn´t expect Arabella to see what he was doing" she guessed "But when she touched you and everyone found out about it, he had no other choice than to play along"

"But now he brought that wall down" Stiles commented and looked at Arya inquisitively "That´s why it hurt when he talked to me, isn´t it? He fought his way in with brutal force"

Arya just raised her shoulders helplessly and didn´t say anything. The thought of Walter having free access to his mind, didn´t please Stiles at all. He remembered how he had instinctively fought against Walter and hoped he would be able to do it again.

"How is he able to blind people?" suddenly asked Scott "And put them in pain just by looking at them?"

Arya shook her head "It´s the first time a _psionic_ is able to do that"

 **Teen Wolf**

They just had to wait a couple of minutes before the lights of Malia´s toyota appeared on the end of the road. The grey car came nearer until it finally stopped a few metres before them on the side of the road.

Before Stiles could even think about moving, one door opened and a redheaded girl came running towards him.

Just like she had done a few months ago, she crashed into Stiles and trapped him in an immense hug, her chin digging in the curve of his neck and shoulder.

"I´m so sorry, Stiles!" said Lydia, still pressing him hard against her "I´m so sorry for what I said and for what I did! I´m so sorry! It was my fault you let that thing bite you! I´m so sorry…"

Feeling utterly confused in his situation, he gently pushed Lydia back. His hands still on her shoulders, he looked at her.

"It wasn´t your fault" he told her "Walter had planned to kill me anyway"

Lydia shook her head "But I gave him the chance" she interrupted "And all the things I said. Telling you, you didn´t belong to the pack… I was wrong, Stiles. I didn´t know what I was saying…"

Suddenly, Liam appeared next to Lydia and focused his eyes on Stiles "Man, I´m also sorry, you…"

Before he could finish, Stiles caught Kira also walking towards him with a regretful expression on her face.

Even though something stirred in Stiles chest after hearing them apologize. This didn´t feel quite right. He appreciated their apologies but this just… it wasn´t the right time.

Stiles made a step backwards and saw Malia standing on the back of the pack, unsure of what she should do.

"Stop" he said raising his palms "Just… don´t. I just… why don´t we talk about everything after we go through with this? I really don´t… I think it would be best"

Malia raised an eyebrow, surprised by Stiles choice to approach the situation.

Maybe she thought he was being mature or even wise. But that was absolutely not the case.

The truth was that Stiles still had no idea what he felt or thought.

They had hurt him. Deeply. But they had also come here to help without really knowing what was going on. They had been with him in the hospital. But they had forgotten all the things he had done for them when he had been part of the pack. They had thought about him as less because he didn´t have supernatural strength. But they had also been his friends for so long…

He just couldn´t decide, he couldn´t know if he honestly had forgiven them or if there were still some grudges. He didn´t know.

So, he just pushed it aside. Right now, they had to focus on what was crucial. He could sort his feelings out later.

Stiles looked into Lydia´s eyes "Right now… we need to focus on other things… let´s just… just… work together… and then talk about it…"

Seven sets of eyes were firmly focused on him. Stiles couldn´t stand the silence, he just wanted someone to say something and this awkward conversation to be over.

"Fine" finally said Malia, rubbing her palms against each other and coming forward "What´s going on and what do you need us to do?"

Stiles nodded "Walter is about to attack the brotherhood with an army of demons he invoked sacrificing people" he said "We need to stop him"

Kira rose an eyebrow "So he controls the demons?" she repeated slowly. Stiles nodded

"And can get into people´s heads?"

Stiles nodded again.

"And we´re going to stop him?"

Malia suddenly shook her head "Why do you need us?" she asked "We can´t even _kill_ those things, we didn´t even _know_ about this whole magic thing. Why is it suddenly so important?"

She wasn´t talking in any aggressive way. Stiles knew she was just being direct and honest, asking exactly what she was thinking. But he didn´t want to answer to that question.

Fortunately, Arya came to his help "There are too many of them" she improvised "And some of your abilities can be useful…"

She didn´t even finish the sentence, it was clear that nobody was buying her words.

Derek sighed "Just tell them the _damn_ truth"

Curious and hurt at the same time, all the eyes were focused on Stiles one more time.

"There´s this…ehm… this prophecy…" he started "That says Walter can only be defeated if the two realms work together. Supernatural and magical"

" _There_ ´s a what…?" continued Liam.

Arya shook her head "Look, prophecies are very important to us and this obviously has to happen for it to be fulfilled" she explained "We honestly don´t know your role in this but one thing´s for sure; you need to be here and help if we want to stop him"

"Just out of curiosity" asked Liam crossing his arms "What happens if we _don_ ´t stop him?"

"The brotherhood goes down" she replied firmly "And with it, everyone that´s able to fight the demons and keep them under control"

Kira frowned "Which means?"

"If there isn´t anyone left to hold the demons back, they´ll start attacking every single person in the surrounding areas and there won´t be anyone able to stop them" explained Stiles, understanding "But Walter doesn´t realize that´s how things will turn out"

Out of a sudden, something glowed bright deeper into the woods. Stiles immediately tried to protect his eyes with his arm, the bright light hurting his eyes. He heard surprised yelps and groans by his sides.

The light got dimmer and Stiles dared to open his eyes and look in that direction.

A white dome rose above the crowns of the trees. Stiles had already seen something like that. A shield created by energy and electricity, letting off a gust of light every time a demon came in touch with it.

Hundreds, maybe even thousands dark figures were flying around the shield, trying to break it and to bring it down. And that was without counting the demons that couldn´t fly.

"It´s started" said Arya, looking up at the clouded sky full of demons "Walter is attacking"

 **Teen Wolf**

They ran. They all ran.

Deeper into the woods, following Stiles and Arya, the only ones who knew how to get to the camp. Scott was surprised by the speed Stiles could run, he was jumping over roots and ducking tree branches like he had been doing this for years.

His heart pumping with adrenaline, he barely noticed how long or far they ran before they got to a huge clearing.

Astonished by so many things he had never seen, Scott halted abruptly and took one second to take everything around in.

Tents around him in various colours, men and women wearing different coloured clothes, a giant fireplace in the middle of everything. It was a whole new world he would have never even dreamed of.

He knew the rest of his pack was thinking the exact same thing he was, too stunned to speak or even move.

The shield was still standing but the demons had managed to make holes in it. Some parts of the electric field were torn or simply gone, letting various creatures fly into the camp.

People wearing purple clothes fought against them, wielding swords and some of them even shields. Shouting commands and screaming, they charged into the battle without any sign of fear. Other people wearing blue cloaks and robes had risen hands and were chanting. The mages, realized Scott. The ones creating the shield. Some were also fighting against the demons, firing lightning from their hands as well as fireballs.

Scott had never seen such creatures as these demons before. He recognized the green women Arya had called sirens, and the winged men that had poisoned Stiles; incubi. He also spotted some black wolves running around the tents.

But there were just so much more. Skeletons loaded in armour floating above the ground and wielding swords. Lions with one additional goat head. Winged horses with heads of eagles. Humanoid creatures with dragon heads. Horrid looking women with coloured wings.

Suddenly, a man wearing a green cloak came running towards them, disbelief and incredulity painted all over his face. Scott recognized him as Cedric, the leader of the brotherhood. He looked at Stiles as if he were seeing a ghost.

"Stiles?" he asked, one sword still in his hands "How did you wake up?"

His eyes wondered around, finding Arya to Stiles´ left. The _mage_ immediately seemed to forget Stiles and focused on the girl.

"Where´s Quinn?" he asked worried.

Arya frowned "Quinn?" she repeated "He´s supposed to be here"

But Cedric shook his head "He saw a figure over a hill and ran towards it. I thought it was you. You´re the only person Quinn would run to encounter"

Arya´s eyes widened in fear. She looked around as if she wanted to make sure Quinn really wasn´t there.

Finally, her panicked eyes met Stiles´.

He shook determined his head but not without a glimpse of fear "He wouldn´t be that naive to…"

But he never ended his sentence. In that same seconds, Stiles, Arya and Cedric suddenly pressed their hands against their ears and closed their eyes tightly, leaving reality.

Looking around, Scott saw a levitating woman right behind Cedric. Her skin was light blue, like her long hair. She was wearing a torn old ball-dress like the ones in the movies. Her face drawn horribly. Completely white eyes without iris or pupils and rotten pointy teeth inside of her wide opened mouth, as if she were screaming.

In seconds, she rose her hand with pointed class and swung it down.

* * *

 ** _Thank you a lot for reading! :D_**

 ** _I hoped you enjoyed the chapter!_**

 ** _I'll try to update faster because I think writing and also reading the final battle of any story or book is not so great just by bits :D_**

 ** _Thand you a lot for commenting, I really, really appreciate it and it motivates me a lot! :D_**

 ** _If you have something to say and you feel like it, please leave a review! They honestly make my Day when I read them!_**

 ** _Thanks again for reading!_**

 ** _Melpomene :D_**


	22. Chapter 22

Quinn had recognized the figure on the hill in the blink of an eye. He would have recognized him everywhere. The intellectual and logical part of his brain had known telling his father would´ve been the best choice, warning him Benedict was watching them. But this time there had been something aside from his brain fuelling his actions.

Even though he had had everything in mind Benedict had done, everyone he had betrayed and even killed, something inside of him didn´t want to let the boy go. The hope of Benedict still having some good in him won the battle inside of him. The hope of the times they´d been together not being nothing more than a lie.

And without thinking about it, he had slid his sword back in its sheath and taken off just as the battle had started. He doubted anyone noticed him, running between members and demons, dodging and ducking with only one goal in his mind.

Because even the smartest people couldn´t win against their emotions.

 **Teen Wolf**

The demon´s hand was only millimetres away from Cedric when something flew straight towards it, pulling the demon down with it. The dreadful cry stopped immediately, the pain in Stiles´ chest vanished.

It only took him seconds to see what had happened. Looking down, he saw the demon wrestling with another figure on the ground.

Malia.

Struggling to win the overhand demon and werecoyote rolled on the floor, hitting each other and trying to get their opponent on their backs. Being completely distracted by Malia´s attack, the demon had no chance to get enough air into its lungs to cry again.

With his heart still beating rapidly because of the painful cry, Stiles pulled Joyeuse out of its sheath. He waited until the demon was over Malia and thrust the sword into the demon´s side, the point of the glowing blade coming out of the woman´s other waist.

Lady Cry stopped struggling right away and opened her mouth. One single drop of grey saliva dropped out before the creature vanished.

Malia winced in disgust as soon as the liquid fell on her cheek. Rubbing it away with her right hand, she got back on her feet. Relieved, Stiles noticed the demon hadn´t hurt her during their wrestling.

Cedric, also still breathing heavily, looked at her gratefully "Thank you"

She nodded quickly in response and then turned back to Stiles "What the _hell_ was that?"

"They can hear them, we can´t" replied Scott, now scanning carefully their surroundings to avoid any other surprise.

"It was a Ban-Sidhe" explained Cedric "Their cries can only be heard by the one´s they´re going to kill"

Lydia frowned "Aren´t they also called Banshees?"

"They´re related" said Cedric confused "How do you know?"

Suddenly, Arthur, sweaty and exhausted with a sword in his hand, appeared by Cedric´s side, coming from the fight behind them "The shield is about to fall" he told Cedric "And the demon´s that already managed to get in are overpowering us…"

Cedric´s expression froze "How many?" he asked firmly.

"Enough"

"But only a few have gotten in" Arya said, making a step forward "How can they be winning?"

Seemingly just noticing that Cedric wasn´t alone, Arthur let his eyes wonder from Arya to the rest of them. His eyes halted when they met Stiles´, surprise appeared all over his face. After a few seconds of just observing him, he finally glanced back at Arya.

"Sirens" he said "Sirens, Ban-Sidhes, Gorgons, Basilisks… Walter was very careful choosing his demons"

"What does that mean?" asked Derek.

Cedric shook his head "They scream or cry, making us unable to move, or freeze us just by touch or glance" he explained "They just make us unable to fight so that they can easily kill us"

Something clicked inside of Stiles. Everything came together. The members of the brotherhood had no chance against them but…

"That´s your role!" he said with wide eyes "That´s why you need to be here! We can´t do anything against those demons but _you_ can! You aren´t affected by their magic! You don´t need to be able to _kill_ them, just to fight by the members´ side! They´ll be able to defeat them with your help!"

Everyone stared at him, not saying anything. A second passed while everyone processed what he had just said. Then, surprise and hope and new carved determination appeared on their faces.

Arthur looked at Stiles in a whole new way "What must _we_ do?"

Stiles didn´t even question why Arthur was asking _him_ and not Cedric, he was thinking too hard, a plan already forming in his mind.

"When the shield comes down" he said "The member´s should split in five or four larger groups, one of the pack with each of them. We are outnumbered but we can even things up if we fight together and not one against one. And with the pack there to help should a demon try something to distract us, we´ll have a chance to win"

It wasn´t a master plan, with no assurance it would work. It was just an idea that had popped into Stiles´ mind.

But it was the best they had.

Cedric turned to Arthur "Go, make sure everyone knows what to do"

Arthur nodded and turned around, but before he could make even one step, he turned back around and looked Stiles in the eye.

"I´m glad you came, _Swords Master"_ he simply said and bowed lightly, just like he had done when they had met.

Any other moment Stiles would have felt unease and awkward in this situation, uncomfortable knowing everyone had seen it. But right now, he just felt… different. It was like when he had first come to the brotherhood and that energy had flooded him, that feeling of rightness.

He nodded at Arthur and it seemed to be exactly what the man expected. He spun around and started telling everyone what to do, starting a chain reaction.

Stiles felt the stares of the entire pack on him but he wasn´t ready to tell them this part of the story. Not yet.

Pretending nothing important had happened, he turned to face Cedric.

"Stiles, what did he mean: _Swords´ Ma…?"_ started to ask Lydia, noticing Stiles was hiding something.

But she didn´t have any chance to finish, for in that moment lightnings flew towards the sky, thunder echoing through the entire forest. Something glowed bright above their heads.

Silence.

Then, howls.

Howls and roars and screams and cries, all of them at the same time.

Stiles looked up.

The shield had disappeared.

And thousands of demons were flying above their heads.

Another thousand standing on the tree line surrounding the camp.

 **Teen Wolf**

Quinn got to the top of the hill just when the shield exploded above him, lightning and fire set free. Being on top of the mountain, the heat hit him harder than any other member.

Trying to protect himself, Quinn let himself fall on one knee, protecting his head with his arms. Lasting only seconds, Quinn soon got on his feet and back running again.

The figure was on the other side of the hill, already descending and going back into the shadows of the forest. Quinn didn´t lower his pace and kept sprinting after him.

Before Quinn knew Benedict was aware he was being followed, the boy halted abruptly and spun around, a gun in his hands but not aiming at anyone.

His eyes met Quinn´s.

"You shouldn´t have followed me" he said calmly, no sign of the murderous person inside of him.

Quinn stared at him, speechless. His heart beating rapidly and not only because of the running he had just done. He had gotten to Benedict… and now…

Now what?

Quinn looked down at the gun in Benedict´s hands, it stayed right where it was. Benedict made no effort to point it towards Quinn.

"You already played your role in this" the black-haired boy continued "And Walter´s got no further use to…"

"He´s manipulating you" Quinn interrupted "Your father, Walter, he´s just using you to do his dirty work"

That was completely stupid, he knew that. Benedict had a gun and he could raise and use it any second, Quinn was meters away from him with only a sword in its sheath. The only one who could come alive out of this wasn´t the _master_.

But he didn´t care.

"You don´t have to keep playing this game" he continued "Why do you even _listen_ to him? You told me yourself you _hated_ him. Why not rebel against him? Why do you do what he says?"

Benedict shook his head and looked casually down as if he were realizing how dumb Quinn was.

"You´re trying to make me change sides?" he asked "You think that´s still possible?"

Quinn shook his head "That couldn´t have all been a lie" he replied "The time we spent together, it couldn´t have been just a lie… There´s still some good in you"

A soar smile spread across Benedict´s face "I just needed information from you. With the wall in Stiles´ mind my father couldn´t read him anymore" he said "He knew you had a crush on me so he sent me to deceive you, it was part of the plan all along"

That hurt. Deeply.

"You know that´s not true" Quinn replied "I´m smart, Benedict, not a mind reader but quite smart, you can´t fool me"

"Really? I thought I already had"

"You didn´t kill me" he said, making a step forward.

Benedict immediately rose the gun, he only needed to move one finger and Quinn would die.

"You didn´t kill me nor Arya when you had the chance" he continued, trying to stop his voice from shaking "You didn´t. You just knocked us out"

The boy in front of him didn´t move. Not a single muscle. Trying to supress his fear, Quinn made another slow step forward. He waited a second, no gun was shot.

"Please, Benedict, stop following Walter" he repeated "I know you can´t be all evil…"

Another step.

No gunshot.

Benedict looked him in the eye "I´m too far gone" he stated "I kept this… this _hate_ inside for so long… Quinn, you can´t do anything to help me"

 **Teen Wolf**

Lydia screamed.

Shock waves came out of her mouth, their direction sharpened by her open arms. They hit the gorgon on its side with incredible force.

The woman with cat-like pupils and snakes instead of hair flew through the sky, her eyes leaving the few _masters_ that slowly started to become able to move again.

Lydia prepared to scream again, she had to maintain that thing occupied while the magic-people returned to reality. She opened her mouth and took a deep breath as the demons started to rise on its feet.

Before she knew what was happening something whizzed by her side. Next thing she saw, was the demon, its eyes wide in shock, a short sword stuck in its shoulder and a red-haired girl holding it.

The demon gave Lydia one last murderous glare before it disappeared. The girl pulled her sword out and then looked back at the banshee.

Through all the screams and yells around her, through all the swords and weapons impacting on each other, through all the chaos, there was one moment of clarity.

The girl winked an eye at Lydia "Nice trick" she said, spun around and leaped to attack a medieval vampire.

One second Lydia stared after her and blinked confused. Had her hair juts change to another colour?

She didn´t have time to give it much though, however, for in that moment she saw a blue-dressed man, pressing his hands against his ears.

Without thinking about it, she located the siren and took a deep breath.

The banshee screamed again.

 **Teen Wolf**

Malia hadn´t felt so vivid in a long time.

She remembered when she had been a coyote and had only done one thing the entire time.

Fight to survive.

Being so long not able to shift again into a full coyote, she had thought that part of her life had died forever.

But now, with her eyes shining blue, her claws drawn and her fangs out, liquid energy coursed through her blood. In the last years, she had had quite a lot of fights, but nothing compared to this.

The werecoyote wasn´t able to kill or even _hurt_ the demons but every time she spotted a creature messing with its surrounding magical people, she jumped into action and distracted it.

A purple-dressed girl caught her attention. She didn´t seem to be hearing something or even seeing something that could´ve hurt her. But she was just shaking her head and hugged herself as if she were protecting herself from something.

Following her strong instincts, Malia fought and dodged her way through the fighting people to the girl. As she got nearer, she saw more people just like the girl.

Some had closed eyes; others were just paralyzed and stared into the void. Others were on their knees. Something was going on.

Suddenly a… thing appeared in front of Malia. Its head completely wrapped up in bandages with only two holes were the eyes would be. But behind those holes weren´t eyes, there was just utter darkness. The demon wasn´t wearing anything aside from a long robe, like in ancient Greece.

The demon stared at her intensively, as if it were trying something. Then, and Malia didn´t know why, she noticed how the demon didn´t understand what was happening. The demon seemed completely surprised at the sight of Malia not going crazy.

But she honestly didn´t care, using his distraction as an advantage, she punched the thing in the face, making it stumble backwards. At the same time, someone gasped for air nearby.

Malia had heard that sound a few times by now, it was the sound of one of the members returning to reality. This demon was the one responsible for the fighters´ odd behaviour.

Without doubting, she jumped drawing a circle with her stretched leg, kicking the demon in the face. More gasps when the thing stumbled further back.

She kicked once more. Heard more people awaken.

Just when she was wondering if she was ever going to get rid of this piñata, a tall, blonde boy wearing a blue leather jacket shouted from a few metres to her left.

"Get down!"

And Malia did.

A lightning hit the demon and it immediately vanished. Malia quickly glanced at the boy. He nodded briefly and then turned around, firing another lightning.

Malia stared at him one moment too long and then returned herself to the fight.

 **Teen Wolf**

Cedric had a sword in his left hand but didn´t really use it. He fired lightning, fire, light and waves of heat with his right hand, hitting one demon after the other.

Out of a sudden he found himself surrounded by black, large wolves with blood dripping from their fur and fire-filled eyes. Gwyllgi.

Letting the sword fall, he concentrated on the energy currents around him, feeling their power, their energy, their stamina.

For any other mage being surrounded by eight gwyllgi, demons of hunted roads, would have been hopeless.

But not for him.

Cedric didn´t even need to turn around to face the wolves behind him, he could feel their presence through the magic dimension. With one swift motion, he bent the currents to create a lightning and made that same lightning circle around him, hitting one of the demons after another, forcing the electricity through their bodies.

They vanished one by one.

Suddenly a giant snake appeared before him, its glowing red eyes staring down at him. And before he could protect himself and close his eyes, it was too late. He couldn´t move one muscle.

The basilisk came nearer, Cedric completely helpless. He tried to move, to control a bit of magic. But he couldn´t.

The snake opened its mouth, showing its giant fangs.

Then, something black flew straight towards it, forcing the basilisk to look away. Cedric sighed relieved when the spell left his body and he was able to move again.

The familiar wolf struggled to keep the snake´s head down, using its fangs and claws to scratch its skin.

Cedric didn´t waste another second, he rose his arm and conjured a ball of fire. It hit the basilisk´s body, making it disappear.

Once it was gone, the blue-eyed wolf looked up at Cedric.

The old mage nodded gratefully.

His smile, however, disappeared in seconds. Looking around he saw how more and more demons fell and disappeared.

But so did his people.

 **Teen Wolf**

Liam was screwed.

He made careful steps backwards, hoping not to hit any demons behind him. He had enough trouble with the one before him.

The young werewolf wasn´t an expert in history but he clearly didn´t remember anything about flying skeletons with swords and armour.

Opening its mouth to show its pointed and sharp fangs, the demons stepped closer. No matter how fast Liam managed to move, the demon just kept following him. With its sword.

And as bad as Liam wanted, he couldn´t do anything against the demon, he knew his blows and punches wouldn´t harm the skeleton at all.

The demon raised its sword and wielded it, almost cutting the beta´s head off. Liam managed to dodge in the last second. Looking around, he sought help. But everyone had their hands full with more demons. No one even glanced in his direction.

Liam stepped to his right just in time to save his chest from being perforated.

Not leaving his eyes off him, the skeleton raised its sword again.

And then something even weirder happened.

Something stopped the demon´s sword in mid-air, as if it had hit an invisible wall. Not seeming surprised at all, the skeleton tried again but the same force stopped him.

Completely forgetting Liam, the demon started to fight with nothing more than empty air.

Or that´s what Liam thought first.

Out of a sudden, something clinked and a hole appeared in the demon´s armour. Liam doubted one second if he had gone crazy in these last days, when a man, a _real man_ , appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

Wearing an orange cloak, the young man was holding a sword pierced in the demon´s gut.

The demon disappeared almost at the same time.

Liam glared at the man with wide eyes. Finally, the man turned around and looked at him.

"You´re invisible?" asked Liam surprised.

The man smiled "I prefer the term _unseen_ " he replied with a strong accent and pointed with his chin behind Liam "You´re needed over there"

The beta turned around and saw a siren with an open mouth, people around her unable to defend themselves from her mute screams.

He quickly glanced back, but the _unseen_ was gone.

Liam didn´t think about it further.

Opening his mouth, Liam let out a deep howl and sprinted at full speed towards the siren.

 **Teen Wolf**

Quinn knew he had to act fast if he wanted to get out of this situation. He suddenly realized that Benedict was not going to change and that there could only be one way things could go on from here.

And he didn´t like the idea of dying because of his stupid feelings.

Acting as fast as he could, he leaped forward, making the last centimetres between him and Benedict disappear. He closed one hand around Benedict´s wrist and the other around the barrel of the gun. He pushed both hands to opposite directions, making Benedict let go of the gun.

It fell on the green grass below them, not making a single noise.

Before he knew what was happening, Benedict pulled his hand out of Quinn´s grip and swung it back, ready to hit him in the face. Noticing immediately what his opponent had in mind, Quinn made a quick step backwards, getting out of Benedict´s range. The fist flew only a few metres in front of his face, cutting the air.

Benedict didn´t hesitate, he made a step forward, eliminating the distance between them once again, and raised his hand again. Quinn ducked out of reflex, getting out of the way. As soon as he felt the gust of air Benedict´s hand had created above him, he caught another movement out of the corner of his eye.

Pain exploded on the left side of his face, black dots blurring his vision for less than a second. Not having his sword in his hands, his speed and strength were nothing special. He knew how to fight, but he wasn´t used to actually do it.

But apparently, Benedict did.

Using Quinn´s distraction, he pushed the boy. And Quinn, still trying to recover from the blow, was caught completely off guard and fell to the ground.

Before Benedict could do anything else, however, Quinn swung his legs to his right, as if he were playing football. Benedict´s legs immediately lost contact with the ground, making him also fall hard on his back.

Quinn crawled to Benedict´s still confused figure as fast as he could, not wanting to waste time by getting up. As soon as he got to his side, he raised his hand, knowing he had to just knock Benedict out and leave. He didn´t even have to tell his father about this.

But his eyes met Benedict´s.

And he hesitated one moment too long.

Pushing himself slightly up, just enough to reach Quinn´s wrist with his hands, Benedict used the situation to his advantage. Sooner than he realized, Benedict had pulled him down, forcing him to roll over him, and now Quinn was the one laying on the floor, Benedict above him.

With his wrist still pressed to the floor by Benedict´s hand, Quinn tried to get up but without results. Suddenly, he felt something cold and plain against one side of his jaw.

Looking down, he saw the gun that had fallen to the ground, now in Benedict´s hand against his skin.

Quinn felt his heart speed up to a thousand kilometres per hour. He took one deep breath, trying to calm his breathing down. Benedict pressed the muzzle of the gun harder against his skin.

Paralysed by fear, Quinn didn´t dare to move one single muscle. He tried to stop his body from shaking but found after a few seconds that he couldn´t. He didn´t want to die.

Benedict stared down at him, emotionless. One second passed. Then two. Then five. And then twenty. But he didn´t shoot. Something, no matter how small, appeared in Benedict´s eyes.

"Go" he said, retrieving the gun "Run. Just leave this place"

The _psionic´s_ son got slowly on his feet, leaving Quinn speechless on the ground. He still didn´t realize what had just happened.

"What?" he asked, too surprised to get up.

Benedict looked down at him " _Go_ " he repeated "You still´ve got time. _Go_ and join the outside world. Become a scientist, a _doctor_ , whatever you want. Just get out of here and don´t come back"

Quinn still stared at him, not saying anything.

"The brotherhood won´t live past today. I´m giving you a chance to survive, Quinn. Take it" repeated Benedict "Just go"

Not sure of what was happening, Quinn got on his feet, his eyes not leaving Benedict "You can´t…"

But Benedict cut him off "If you don´t do what I say, I´ll have no other choice than to kill you" he said "and you don´t deserve that"

 **Teen Wolf**

One demon fell.

Another took its place.

Stiles thrust Joyeuse into the demon´ stomach.

Another demon took its place again.

It didn´t seem to stop. The demons seemed to appear out of nowhere. As many as Stiles killed, he barely had time to catch a breath.

He ducked, avoiding being hit by the claws of the harpy in front of him. Before the demon knew, Stiles had already swung his sword, sliding its chest open. The harpy let one last scream tear out of its throat before it vanished.

It was one of the shortest duels he had had until now, but Stiles still needed a moment to recover his strength. He had no idea how long he had fought by now. Maybe minutes, maybe hours.

Covered in sweat and barely being able to breath, he ran his palm over his forehead, washing the drops of liquid running down his face off.

He took one look around.

Even though Scott did his best to fight the demons that could kill most people, there still were a lot of _mages_ and _masters_ falling to the ground in heaps. A shiver ran down Stiles spine, seeing all those members spread through the entire clearing, motionless. Without knowing, he found himself hoping they were just unconscious or badly injured.

Having no demon attacking him in this second, he realized how bad their position was.

The other groups weren´t doing much better than his. The five larger groupings were barely holding up, shrinking and being surrounded by more and more demons. Even the sky was still covered by black figures flying from right to left, only a few _mages_ throwing lightning at them. But not bringing their numbers down.

The brotherhood wouldn´t win.

Not if they kept fighting like this.

An idea started to build up inside of Stile´s mind.

He knew it was dumb. He knew if might not work. He knew it could go utterly wrong.

But the same currents giving him strength, the little voice in the back of his mind filling him with determination, the energy coming from his sword, all of those things did something to him. Made him _want_ to do this, made him _believe_ he could do it.

Not losing another second, Stiles glanced around and looked for the one person he needed.

She was a few metres away, fighting a man wearing nothing more than the skin of some animal. A brown mask covered its entire face, red eyes peeking out of the only two holes in it. It was fighting Arya with no weapon, but she still seemed to be a hard time fighting it.

The _master_ tried to wield her sword one time after another but the demon just stepped aside, dodging her blows. Knowing time was short, Stiles decided to step in to make things go faster.

Arya made a step forward, trying to cut its arm, but once again the demon just moved aside, smirking mockingly at Arya before trying to punch her in the face. The demon was so set on Arya, that he didn´t notice Stiles sneaking up behind him. Seconds before the demon let its hand fall, Stiles pierced Joyeuse through its back.

The demon halted immediately. Without having time to even turn around and look at its attacker, the demon vanished.

Arya looked at Stiles for a moment, surprised and her sword still raised. Stiles didn´t bother to wait for her to react, he stepped forward and closed his hand around hers.

"Follow me" he told her briefly before pulling her with him as he ran out of the battle zone.

She resisted at first, probably still surprised, but soon ran by his side not questioning him. Stiles would´ve liked to also have Scott with him but he was needed in the battle. The _masters_ and _mages_ had no chance of winning without him.

They finally got to the place Stiles wanted. The giant bonfire in the middle of the brotherhood.

No fire was burning right now but that didn´t matter. The fire hadn´t been the reason of him coming here. Glancing around, Stiles found that he was exactly between all the five groups that had formed at the exact same distance. All demons seemed occupied, not paying any attention to him and Arya.

Arya looked up at him, still breathing heavily from the fight and the sprint "What´s in your mind?"

"I´m going to open another hole in the magic dimension"

Her eyes widened "What?!"

"Look… just… just trust me, all right?" he asked, getting on one knee "when I start, I´ll might draw some attention. I need you to cover me"

She frowned slightly, but nodded after one second.

Glad to have someone to watch his back, Stiles took a deep breath and tried to calm down in middle of all the chaos around him. This wouldn´t work otherwise.

As nervous and scared as he´d never been, Stiles closed his eyes and rested his palm on the grass beneath him. Taking one last deep breath, he reached for the magic dimension.

All his senses were immediately overwhelmed by thousands of sharp and strong sensations. He groaned in pain but didn´t run away or give in. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he stayed put. He focused on the incredibly strong energy currents around him and how they tried to push and tear him apart.

But that wasn´t enough. Using all of his power of will Stiles forced himself to go further. His body started to shake as he forced himself to feel past the currents around him. His body just wanted to give in and fall to a heap, every single cell inside his body trembled like it never had. But Stiles still didn´t step back, he kept going.

Everything got so bright and intense, it hurt. But Stiles just dared one more step. And then, he felt it.

He felt the chaos of energy deep beneath his feet, where there were no currents, just pure, raw magic. No order.

And the knot he had made there, when he had tried this the first time.

But this time he would manage to control it.

Stiles pushed himself as far as he never had.

 **Teen Wolf**

Kira wielded her sword to her left, aiming for the medusa-like creature. The demon snarled at her but Kira didn´t hear anything, she just focused on keeping the thing distracted.

But she soon was distracted herself.

Thunder crashed in the sky above her. The earth started to shake. Bright light blinded her for a moment. The kitsune had no idea where it was coming from. The gorgon stumbled backwards, trying to run away from the glaring brightness.

As soon as it had started, the earthquake stopped, leaving not only Kira but everyone in the clearing petrified. Even the demons. Turning around to see what was happening through the light, she saw a giant fire erupting from the ground in the middle of the clearing.

Now, Kira noticed where the brightness was coming from. Huge lightning bolts arose from the ground, hitting the clouds in all different colours. Winds were circling around the fire, roaring in everyone´s ears.

And right next to the massive fire kneeled Stiles. His eyes were closed, his brows furrowed in determination, his body shaking.

Kira immediately knew he was the one doing it.

And she wasn´t the only one to draw that conclusion.

The demons completely forgot the fights they were involved in. As if a puppet master were moving them, almost every single creature started to walk towards Stiles.

Arya was standing next to Stiles and looked at the upcoming wave of attackers with fright but also courage in her eyes.

Kira didn´t hesitate a moment, she ran as fast as she could to their side.

Gusts of wind rushed against her face, her skin burning as she got nearer to the fire, her lids automatically trying to close to escape from the brightness.

The kitsune got to the girl´s side by the same time Scott did. Not stopping to say anything, only joining the fight and defending Stiles.

She caught Arya out of the corner of her eye, looking down at Stiles " _Stiles_?" she asked "You need to hurry!"

Stiles didn´t seem to hear her at first, but he finally nodded and took a deep breath, as if he were preparing for something.

Then, the harpy Kira had been fighting burst out in flames.

Kira stepped back and looked stunned at the scenario before her, not only had _her_ opponent caught fire. _A lot_ of demons had.

Lightning from various colours burst out of the ground hitting various demons, winds threw them off their feet, making them disappear. It was absolutely insane.

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles couldn´t hold it any longer. If he kept going, he would lose control over the entire situation and hell would break loose.

Just like Cedric had taught him, he cut the bond he had to that powerful, yet wold energy beneath him and closed the gap.

It was a lot harder.

Finally, after struggling and pushing himself to his limits, he felt everything return back to reality and left the magic dimension.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was only able to see blurry colours. Losing suddenly all of his balance, he would have fallen down if one arm hadn´t wrapped around his shoulders.

Blinking to recover his full sight, Stiles slowly felt how his from energy depleted body started to recover. He noticed the sounds around him and got a clear sight of what was happening.

Scott was next to him, holding him in place. Arya and Kira were also near him, but they weren´t fighting any demons.

Stiles smiled.

It had worked.

The number of demons had gone remarkably down. The one´s that had survived were looking at him with fright and anger in their eyes. Not moving, nor fighting. Then, a girl with hair as red as fire raised her sword.

Marissa.

" _Demons delenda est_!" she shouted.

Even though Stiles didn´t understand a word, he got what she was doing. With new determination and actual hope of winning this, _master_ , _mages_ , the _unseen_ and _seer_ charged into battle with new force.

Stiles got on his feet, feeling steady on his feet.

He looked at Kira "They need you over there" he told her "You need to go help, I´ll be fine"

She hesitated for a moment and looked at Scott, but finally turned around and took off, returning to her `group´.

Suddenly, Arya cried out and pressed the heels of her palms against her temples. She pressed her eyes shut and started to lose stability, falling on her knees.

Stiles immediately ran to her side and placed his hands on her shoulders, but she didn´t seem to react. The master bit her lower lip and shook her head, ignoring Stiles´ effort to help.

"Arya?" he asked worried " _Arya?"_

It couldn´t be a demon or else he would feel the same. But what...?

Arya groaned one more time and tried to close her eyes even tighter.

"Arya?" asked Stiles again, slowly panicking " _Arya!?_ "

She opened her mouth, still shaking her head "It´s… it´s Walter" she said "It´s Walter, he´s talking to me"

Stiles stared at her for a moment with wide eyes "What does he want?" he finally managed to ask.

Arya took a deep breath "He… he… he says he´s had enough of you" she said "He says you two need to bring an… an end to this. He says he wants to… see you in the woods… or he´ll… he´ll make sure everyone that has ever meant something to you doesn´t see the next sundown"

* * *

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **I hoped you enjoyed and liked the chapter!**_

 _ **A few more chapters to go :D**_

 _ **Thank you a lot for reviewing! I know I´ve said it before but reading them just makes my day! Always. So, thank you very much! I really, really appreciate it!**_

 _ **So, please, if you have something to say and you feel like doing it, leave a review! It really means a lot to me!**_

 _ **Thank you again for reading!**_

 _ **Sorry for any grammar/ spelling mistakes ;)**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	23. Chapter 23

"Stiles, _listen_ to me!" shouted Scott behind him "Stiles! _Stiles_! Do you even _realize_ what you´re about to do?"

Stiles didn´t want to ignore Scott, he didn´t mean to be rude. But right now, he just needed to do this. Halting and talking to him would just… it would be a waste of time and maybe even discourage him. Stiles couldn´t risk Scott talking him out of what he was going to do.

Pretending he hadn´t heard Scott, he kept going out of the clearing and into the woods.

"Stiles!" repeated Scott, running after him "Stop right there! You _know_ what you´re about to do is complete nonsense!"

Stiles kept going. He wouldn´t give in. Scott didn´t understand, Scott didn´t know what it was…

A warm hand suddenly wrapped around his wrist, making him stop. Without turning around, Stiles tried to free himself from the grip but couldn´t.

"Stiles, _don´t_ do what he wants you to!" Scott said "He´s _playing_ you and you are…"

Stiles spun around "I _know_!" he finally replied frustrated "I _know_ it´s the _stupidest_ thing to go in there! But, Scott, _look_ at Arya! He´s _hurting_ her! And he won´t stop until I _go_ in there and put an end to this!"

He pointed at Arya. She had managed to get on her feet and go halfway after them. But it was clear she was in pain. Her steps were irregular and uncoordinated. She was still pressing one hand against her temple. While she was walking, Arya pressed her eyes shut, not looking where she was going.

"That´s what he wants you to _think_!" replied Scott "Look around you! Victory is now possible and only because of _you_! He _knows_ that!"

Stiles shook his head "What do you _want_ me to do? To stay here and let Arya´s head _explode_?" he retorted "To _wait_ until he does the same to everyone around me? Because he won´t stop, he´ll go after _every single person_ I care about! You _want_ me to just stay here and do _nothing_?!"

"I want you to _think_ , Stiles!" shouted Scott "I want you to _understand_ what you´re about to do! I want you to _realize_ that it´s suicide doing what Walter wants!"

"You _think_ I don´t know that?" asked Stiles " _Of course I do!_ But I can´t let anyone get hurt because of me! Walter will _kill_ just to hurt _me_! Do you _know_ how unbearable that thought is? Do you _know_ what a burden that…?"

"I do!" interrupted Scott frustrated "I do _know_ , I´ve known _for years_!"

Stiles frowned confused "What?"

"I _know_ what it is when someone hurts the ones you love just to hurt you! I know how crushing that guilt can be!" replied Scott "And let me tell you, it does _not_ go well when you let your emotions take over! You must _think_ , Stiles! If you act without thinking things will get ten times worse!"

Something in Scott´s eyes told Stiles this was something serious, something that was really a part of Scott, something he was really familiar with, but…

It didn´t change anything.

Stiles looked him firmly in the eye "I have to go" he simply said "And you _know_ why, you know why I won´t change my mind. You understand"

Scott sighed. Stiles felt like he was somewhere completely else, the battle around him far away. Right now, it was just Scott and him. Scott and the thing he was trying to stop him from doing. But it wouldn´t work. Stiles wouldn´t let anyone get hurt because Walter wanted _him_.

"I´ll go with you" said suddenly a female voice behind Scott "I´ll help you kick his ass"

Stiles looked at Arya. She didn´t seem as distracted as a few seconds ago, but she was still pressing her hand against her head and shaking it.

"No way" replied Stiles "It´s too dangerous and you´re in no condition to…"

Arya sighed and moved her hand away from her head, but Stiles could see how she bit her lower lip, trying to supress the pain.

"I was with you through the entire way" she said firmly "It´s a little too late to get rid of me"

Stiles took a deep breath "Arya…"

"Besides" she cut him off "He´ll stop attacking me when he sees you´re doing what he wants"

"You can´t be sure of that. He might as well…"

"Look, either the three of us go _together_ " interrupted Scott "Or you don´t go anywhere"

 **Teen wolf**

As it turns out, Arya was right. As soon as they entered the woods, her headache stopped, making her able to walk at a normal and steady pace again. Stiles couldn´t help but worrying about what that could mean. Walter was probably too busy preparing to attack them, looking into their thoughts, or simply thinking of ways to kill them.

And what worried him the most was the fact that he still didn´t have full control over his powers. He had used the magic in the earth´s core to help equalize the battle´s odds. But not to control larger amounts of energy. Creating fire somewhere specific or aiming with a lightning needed a lot more of accuracy and Stiles wasn´t sure if he was able to do it.

Walking before him and moving branches aside, Scott glanced back "Do we even know where he is?"

"Not really" replied Stiles "But I have an idea"

Somehow, he knew that hadn´t comforted Scott.

"Any idea how we´re going to fight him?" the werewolf questioned again.

"We´ll figure something out"

Suddenly a hand closed around his shoulders "Stiles, whatever you might think is supposed to happen" said Arya behind him "You don´t have to go through with this alone"

"But you can´t play with…"

Scott suddenly halted, making Stiles bump into his back. The werewolf looked up confused and sniffed the air. It only took Stiles seconds to get what was happening.

"What is it?" he asked firmly "Are you getting any specific scent or…?"

"Someone was here not long ago" replied Scott "Someone who is really having issues with his emotions"

Stiles frowned "That can´t be Walter" he stated "Walter is evil, he doesn´t struggle with emotions"

"Maybe Benedict?" asked Arya.

Stiles automatically shook his head "Benedict is as bad as Walter, he wouldn´t…" he trailed off, something coming to his mind "But what if he…?"

Before he could finish his sentence an incredible force exploded in front of Stiles, throwing him and his friends off their feet. Something hard crashed against Stiles´ back, sending waves of agony through his entire body. Blinking the black dots away from his vision, Stiles found himself leaning against a tree in a half-sitting, half-laying position.

" _You thought I´d be waiting for you on the hill, didn´t you?"_ asked Walter inside of his mind _"After all the things you´ve seen me do, you still think I´d play by the rules. How stupid"_

Stiles slowly managed to get up and looked around but couldn´t see anything aside from tree trunks.

" _Your friend was right"_ commented Walter _"You should´ve thought before acting. Did you seriously believe you had a chance against me?"_

Stiles didn´t even bother to try to talk to Walter telepathically. "Are you hiding!?" he shouted, faking all confidence he could "Are you scared to fight face to face with me!?"

" _Don´t flatter yourself"_ replied Walter " _I´m just_ _having some fun before killing you"_

Stiles tried to find him, tried to find anything around that wasn´t a tree, but to no avail. Walter was nowhere to be see. Neither were Arya or Scott.

" _Looking for your friends?"_ asked Walter _"You know they´ll die, don´t you?"_

Stiles tried to bring his emotions under control, he tried to ignore the worry and guilt rising in his chest. But it was difficult. So difficult, he started to lose focus on other things. The buzzing in his ears started again.

" _The best part, isn´t it?"_ mocked _Walter "Pushing back all those noises, thoughts and emotions. I know how to control them but you? You´ll never learn how to do anything, you´re useless"_

Stiles pressed his hands against his temples "Get out"

" _Am I hitting a nerve?"_ the psionic asked faking innocence _"Are you trying to avoid the truth because it hurts?"_

"GET OUT!" he repeated and, whether he had used his powers or Walter had for some reason listened to him, the psionic really got out of his mind.

Stiles let out a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. The voices slowly started to fade as he recovered his composure. He could still feel his heart beating at a hundred kilometres per hour but he regained some control over his mind.

Footsteps came running towards him rapidly. Stiles quickly pulled Joyeuse out of its sheath and got into fighting position. A shadow appeared between the trees, getting bigger as its owner got nearer.

Just when it was a few metres away, Stiles stepped forward and raised his sword to…

Relief flooded his entire system after seeing who it was. He lowered Joyeuse and slid it back to its sheath.

Arya and Scott came running towards him. The alpha´s eyes already glowing red and his claws drawn. The _master_ had one sword in her hands, ready to fight. She walked over to Stiles and looked at him concerned.

"Everything alright?" she asked worried "We heard you scream and couldn´t…"

Stiles shook his head "I´m fine" he replied "We have to look for Walter, I´m sure..."

"There!" suddenly interrupted Scott, pointing at some trees more than 100 metres away "A shadow behind those trees!"

Stiles had to admit, since he and Arya weren´t in the middle of a fight with a sword in their hands, he couldn´t see what Scott wanted to show them and neither could Arya. Nonetheless, he trusted Scott. Without losing any more time, he took off, running to the direction Scott had pointed at.

Soon, the werewolf joined him and Arya´s footsteps echoed behind him. As they got nearer, Stiles started to be able to distinguish the silhouette Scott had seen. But when he was only a few metres away, something started to feel wrong about this. Walter wouldn´t…

Suddenly, Stiles caught something grey coming towards him out of the corner of his eye. He spun around just in time to raise his arm and stop the object mid-air. Scott and Arya also reacted immediately, halting and turning to their right.

Holding the rock in the air, Stiles recognized the man standing a few metres behind it.

Walter smiled "I didn´t imagine, you´d be so easy to fool" he said amused "One shadow behind a tree? Didn´t think it was suspicious?"

Scott snarled, showing his long, white fangs. Arya rose her sword diagonally like it was a shield. But something inside of Stiles knew fighting in such way wouldn´t work. Walter couldn´t be defeated like that, he could just manipulate their thoughts and win. They needed to find some other way.

"Who wants to go first?" asked Walter with anticipation in his voice.

Stiles tried to think, tried to let something occur to him. But why hadn´t he thought about this earlier? Why hadn't he tried to figure out a way to defeat Walter? The psionic had played him to his favour and Scott had been right. It had been a mistake to run into the woods with absolutely no plan.

Walter looked at Stiles "I´d love to start with you…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he had to step quickly aside, dodging Scott running at him at full speed. Not being able to change directions so quickly, Scott kept running and only came to an insecure halt a few metres behind Walter. The _psionic_ didn´t waste one second. He waved his hand and immediately send Scott flying off his feet.

"Hey!" shouted Stiles, perplexed by the scene before him " _Hey_!"

Scott impacted on the ground, coughing and closing his eyes. Not making any effort to get up.

Enjoying the scene, Walter turned his head to face Stiles "…but, we´ve got a volunteer!"

Forgetting it was foolish, Stiles raised Joyeuse and was about to run over to his friend when Walter looked over his shoulder. Immediatly someone groaned in pain behind him. Terrified, Stiles turned around to see Arya fall on her knees, covering her face with her palms.

"Just what you wanted to avoid, isn´t it?" asked Walter mockingly behind him "Your friends hurt because of you?"

Stiles glanced back at Scott. He was still on the floor, pressing his hands against his side. Judging from the way his chest rose and fell, Stiles immediately recognized he was in pain. Maybe even having trouble breathing.

Still terrified, he looked back at the girl behind him. Arya was now on all her fours, gripping the grass beneath her fingers with extreme force to escape the pain.

Acting without thinking, Stiles reached for the magic dimension and conjured a ball of fire, throwing it at Walter. But the psionic dodged it with ease. After seeing this, Stiles tried to form another fire ball but pressure started to build up inside his head, the buzzing turning into chaotic voices.

Immediately, he stepped back, giving Walter enough time to react. He snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, agonizing electricity flowed all through Stiles´ system, depriving him from any sensation aside from the burning pain.

When the agony decreased, Stiles found himself on the floor, a metallic taste in his mouth. He looked up, only to find Walter a few metres in front of Scott. Using all his strength, Stiles tried to get up but a strong force made his arms crumble beneath him. He felt something accumulate in his mouth and spit it out.

Blood.

Stiles realized he had bitten his own tongue. He tried to push himself back up but only got the same results. Walter looked briefly down at him before turning to face Scott.

The werewolf had managed to get on his feet. His eyes glided from Stiles to Walter. His left hand was still pressed against his side. Even his werewolf powers couldn´t heal a broken rip that fast.

"How about we chat a little bit before I kill you in front of Stiles?" asked Walter.

Scott looked at him with eyes full of hate "Go _fuck_ yourself"

Walter shook his head "Letting all your anger come out?" he asked "I think you already had a talk with my son, serious stuff wasn´t it?"

Stiles could help but frown. When had Scott talked to Benedict? _Why_ had they talked?

But Scott was utterly calm or at least faked it well "That trick won´t work twice on me"

"But I´m not here to hurt _you_ " replied Walter, then looked briefly at the sky, thinking and finally shrugged "Well, not _directly_ "

He made a step towards Scott, forcing the werewolf to immediately step back. "I´m here to hurt Stiles" the psionic stated. After looking at Scott for a moment, a smirk appeared on his face "You want to know why?"

Stiles eyes widened in terror. He didn´t want Scott to find out, not like this. He tried to collect all his strength and get up but only managed to get a few centimetres over the ground before falling back down again.

Walter kept his eyes fixed on Scott "You don´t know, do you?" he asked "You´ve been wondering this whole time but gotten no answers. _Why_ did I try to kill Stiles? _Why_ does all of this seem to circle around him? _Why_ does he seem to be so important?"

"He doesn´t trust you" continued Walter "he doesn´t trust you enough to tell you he´s the only one that can stop me. He doesn´t trust you enough to tell you that he´s part of a prophecy and that he´s quite powerful"

"Why else wouldn´t he tell you?" he asked and started to count with his fingers "He knows you´re a bad friend, a bad protector. Why should he forgive you and tell you everything that has happened after what you told him?"

Suddenly, Arya moved to Stiles´ right. Still not being able to get up because of the pain she was in, she managed to pull a knife out of her boot and threw it with all the strength she could manage.

Unfortunately, it wasn´t nearly enough. The knife didn´t made it halfway through before falling back to the ground. But it still was near enough to get Walter´s attention.

The psionic waved his hand, sending Scott once again through the air. Shaking his head, he made his way over to Arya.

"And you" he said "sticking your nose in things that do _not_ concern you. Why couldn´t you let the vampire kill Stiles? _Why_ did you have to save him? He´ll die anyway but now so will you. Just because you couldn´t let _one_ single person die"

Arya tried to get on her feet, but the pain was too much to let her do that.

"But there´s a reason you´re so fond of Stiles" Walter continued "You thought he´d be the one to understand what you´ve been through. He lost his mother and you your parents. You at last had someone by your side who understood"

Walter sighed dramatically "But things didn´t turn out that way, did they? You saw he had coped with his mother´s death and you realized you were just not strong enough. You weren´t strong enough to let go of the past, to let your parents go, to let the pain go"

Stiles saw Arya´s hands tremble, he saw how much Walter´s words affected her. Just as they had affected Scott. Walter was not only hurting them physically but also emotionally. And only because he wanted Stiles to see it, because the person he really wanted to hurt was Stiles. And hurting his friends was a perfect way to achieve that goal.

Suddenly, Stiles felt something change. Instead of forcing his body to brake the barrier holding him down, he listened to a little voice in the back of his head. It was his _mind_ that was being controlled by Walter and he had to get him out of _there_.

Stiles forced his mind to fight. Not having any clear idea of how, he just followed his instincts. Something snapped and the buzzing turned into clear voices, all talking at the same time. But there was something more, something he could push away, something coming from further out.

"Stop!" he said, finally managing to get up "Stop! You want to kill me? Go ahead! Try! But this is between you and me! Leave them out of this!"

Walter turned to look at him, unable to hide the surprise in his face. But the fact that Stiles had managed to get out of his control didn´t bother him that much. He still seemed quite relaxed as if he were sure Stiles had no chance against him anyways.

The voices inside of Stiles´ head got louder, but Stiles didn´t care right now. He needed Walter to stay out, everything else didn´t matter.

Just when Stiles thought he might have a chance against the _psionic_ and get out of this, something clicked behind him.

Stiles automatically spun around, only to find Benedict behind him, aiming at him with his gun. Stumbling back, Stiles asked himself how he was going to get out of _this one_.

"I messed up one time" Benedict breathed out viciously "I´m not making that mistake again"

Raising his eyebrows, Walter started to walk over to his son "For once, you do something useful"

As if he hadn´t heard him, Benedict didn´t even flinch. Stiles´ head went on overdrive, trying to figure out a way to get out of this. He had control over his body, Walter couldn´t do anything to his mind. That had to be somehow useful, right? That would bring him the advantage he needed, right?

But he still wouldn´t be able to stop the bullet.

His powers hadn´t enough accuracy.

Impatiently, the _psionic_ looked at his son "What are you waiting for?" he urged " _Kill_ him! _Get rid_ of him! Then shoot the other two!"

A soar smile spread across Benedict´s face. Stiles heart was about to explode. He saw Benedict´s hand tense and prepared to jump aside even though there was no way...

Leaves suddenly rustled behind Benedict "Stop!" shouted Quinn coming quickly towards them "Benedict, don´t do it! You know Stiles isn´t the one responsible for all the hatred inside of you!"

Still aiming at Stiles, Benedict sighed "I told you to leave" he uttered.

"I won´t" Quinn replied "Benedict, please…"

Nothing changed in the Benedict´s expression, no muscle moved. But no gun was shot. No matter how slight it was, Quinn had managed to do something. Making Benedict at least hesitate and giving Stiles time to…

"Stupid boy!" suddenly said Walter furious "I knew you were nothing but weak!"

Stunned by Walter´s burst of anger, Stiles found himself too surprised and shocked to move. He had never seen the _psionic_ like that.

Raising his hand, Walter looked at Quinn "You, _dumb_ boy" he spat "You _think_ you can be some light to Benedict? You think you can set him up against his _own_ father"

Quinn stumbled back, pressing his eyes shut and groaning in pain.

"But you´re _nothing_ better than him, a _disappointment_ to your father, a _waste_ of space. It doesn´t need mind reading to see your father is as disappointed in you as I am in Benedict" Walter continued, still walking towards the young _master_ "You're a _freak_ , you´re a freak that gave the bad guy _exactly_ what he wanted. Not only information about Stiles but also about how to improve my powers using science. How can your father _not_ be disappointed?"

Walter laughed humourless "How will you take your father´s place and become leader? Who will be leader after you die? You won´t have children. The simple thought of touching a woman disgusts you? But how will you tell Cedric?" he mocked "I have good news for you, you won´t _have_ a chance to tell him"

And before Quinn could come out of the shock state the _psionic´s_ words had induced him to, Walter waved his hands, making Quinn fly back with an incredible force. His head hit the bark of a tree, something in his head cracking so loud, Stiles heard it from metres away. Losing consciousness immediately, Quinn fell to a heap in front of the tree, completely motionless.

Stiles stared in terror at the boy in front of the huge tree, he didn´t even know… He didn´t even know if someone could survive such a heavy blow.

Walking forward, Walter only glanced briefly at Benedict who was staring at Quinn´s motionless figure in front of him.

"We´ll have a little _chat_ later about your behaviour" he spat out "Don´t you doubt that, but right now, I have to do things _myself_ because no one else seems able to do it"

With those words, he snapped his fingers again, making new electricity attack Stiles´ body. Crying out in pain, Stiles fell once again to his knees, not being able to stop his body from shaking violently.

"You, _stupid_ boy" he said coming nearer towards him "I´ve had _enough_ of you. I had fun playing with you but now your time has come"

Stiles wanted to open his mouth, he wanted to say something. _Anything_. But the currents in his body didn´t stop, the agony becoming worse after each second. He couldn´t talk, could barely manage to keep his body from convulsing.

Walter crouched down before him "You can´t imagine how great this is" he continued "This time, I´ll do it _quick_ and painful"

He got on his feet again and looked down at Stiles. He snapped his fingers.

The electricity got stronger, each impulse sending the most agonizing pain all aver Stiles´ body. Hundreds of muffled voices echoing in his mind. Stiles cried out in pain, not being able to hold the scream back

"They´ll all die, Stiles" said Walter with joy in his voice "Because of you. It´s _always_ your fault. Don´t you think the world will be better without you? Your dreams already told you, didn´t they? So much blood in your hands, wanna count with me?"

He snapped his fingers again.

Stiles cried out in agony.

"You killed Donovan, you killed Allison, you killed your mother, you killed Eustace, you ruined your father´s life, you make everyone worry just because you´re useless. And I almost forgot, how many people did you kill when you let the Nogitsune in? The nurses, the patients in the hospital, almost Scott´s mother, your father, the entire station…"

Stiles vision started to blur, black dots covered his vision. The voices were now screaming all at the same time in his mind. He just wanted it to stop. He wanted to escape all of this.

Walter sighed "I´ll destroy every last one of them after you die" he spat "First your friends, then your family, the brotherhood, the so-called pack. So many demons will be so pleased…"

Stiles pressed his eyes shut, he could barely hear Walter, he could barely stay conscious. He was going mad, the voices, the pain. He couldn´t take it.

Something snapped. A part of Stiles just couldn´t withstand the pressure and gave in. Suddenly, a wave of even more intense voices overwhelmed Stiles. Each one of them so full of emotion, it hurt. Feeling and hearing everyone´s thoughts at the same time _hurt_.

Finally, Stiles lost every awareness of the world around him, his mind only registering the burning electricity and the thousand voices.

But then, he felt something new.

Not knowing how, Stiles felt how the voices slowly started to organize. They changed in volume and pitch, a pattern slowly forming. It was a field around him. Some kind of grid connecting every single mind to his. He could contract the field, specific voices getting more intense or do the exact opposite, making everything duller.

In less than a second, Stiles heard _him_.

He felt Walter. He felt everything inside his head. It was strange and bizarre but it made him understand, seeing everything as Walter´s mind did.

But it still didn´t help. The electricity was still coursing through his body, Stiles still had no way to even _move_.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Clarity returned to Stile´s mind. It only took him less than a second to realize Walter wasn´t looking at him anymore. All his attention was set on something behind him.

His arm risen with, Benedict held the gun in his hand with determination carved on his face.

But he wasn´t aiming at Stiles.

He was aiming at Walter.

Even though Stiles had been submerged in the pain, he quickly figured what had happened. Benedict was standing less than a meter in front of Quinn´s unconscious figure.

With slight disbelief Walter stared at his son. His confusion turned to surprise then finally to anger.

"I knew it since you were born" Walter said furious "You´re nothing more than a _useless_ child"

Stiles legs were shaking, sweat was running down his face but he still forced himself to get up. He pushed every single doubt this would work inside of his mind aside.

For a reason unknown to him, Walter somehow got Stiles had gotten on his feet. The _psionic_ turned around and gave Stiles an annoyed look.

"I´m _not_ finished yet" he said and snapped his fingers.

But Stiles didn´t fall back on his knees in pain like he had expected.

He felt it coming towards him. He felt a ripple in the field around his mind. He felt how it was coming from Walter and trying to get into his mind.

And he stopped it.

Not knowing exactly how, Stiles fought against it. Using everything in his power to build a barrier, to keep that… _thing_ from reaching him. Walter´s wave stayed in the middle of the field, not reaching Stiles but neither disappearing.

The _psionic_ stared at Stiles for a second with wide eyes, before snapping his fingers again violently.

Another wave came towards Stiles, bigger and stronger. Stiles pressed his index and middle finger against his temple, trying to concentrate as hard as he could. First, the wave just passed through the weak barriers he was trying to build. When the wave had almost reached Stiles, he closed his eyes tightly and blocked everything else out. He created one more barrier and managed to stop it.

But he didn´t have time to open his eyes or take a breath, Walter immediately sent more and more waves and rippling, attacking Stiles.

Stiles had completely lost any sensation of the world around him, the only thing he could focus on was on stopping the waves and keeping his mind from being penetrated.

Walter´s attacks got stronger after every time he saw Stiles was able to deflect them. Soon, Stiles had almost no more strength left to keep withstanding the growing and growing attacks.

He had to do _something_.

After stopping one rippling, Stiles immediately focused on the field around him, trying to somehow translate the way he used magic into this other weird dimension. But now using his mind and only his mind to create it. And somehow, he managed to do it. The grid in front of him curved up and down, a wave forming and speeding towards Walter.

The psionic made it disappear with ease.

Before Stiles knew what was going on, he felt a giant, tidal wave rushing towards him.

Panicking, Stiles focused on creating as much small waves as he could, knowing no barrier he made would be able to stop that monster. Hoping a lot of smaller waves would stop it, he created one after the another.

He felt the tension increase as Walter´s and Stiles´ waves got nearer. They felt incredibly immense. They felt incredibly powerful.

Faster than he realized, they crashed into each other.

Stiles was torn back to reality, something exploding in frontof him. He was blinded by bright light, his ears becoming completely numb for a moment. Stiles stumbled backwards, trying to escape the brightness and the heat.

His stumbled on his own feet, making him fall hard on his back. Using his elbows to not fall completely on the ground and still having something to lean on, Stiles just stared at the scene before him, motionless.

Finally, after an amount of time Stiles couldn´t define, things returned to reality. The trees and branches and roots returned to his vision.

Everything was exactly the same.

Everything but _one_ thing.

Where Walter had been, was now a heap of black cloth covering a motionless figure on the ground.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for reading!**_

 _ **I know it took me a bit longer to update but I really wanted this chapter to be good. Sorry!**_

 _ **I love to read what you think about the story, therefore thank you a lot for reviewing! Reading the reviews always makes me day and I know I´ve said it before but it´s the truth :D**_

 _ **So, please, if you feel like it and you want to, tell me what you think and review. I really like to get any kind of feedback :D**_

 _ **Sorry for any grammar/ spelling mistakes and I hope you liked the chapter!**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	24. Chapter 24

Arya blinked surprised when the pain stopped. Disoriented, she looked around, trying to find out what had happened. With her mind still clouded, she only caught glimpses of green and brown at first. But slowly, the figures gained shapes and clear colours.

Stiles was laying on the grass, staring at Walter who was also on the ground. Frowning, Arya got on her feet, trying to get a better look. She couldn´t help but ask herself what had happened. Why wasn´t Walter moving?

When she was almost halfway there, Stiles suddenly reacted and jumped on his feet. He looked at Walter and then his eyes travelled to the floor between him and the _psionic,_ as if he were looking for something. But the space between them was utterly empty and normal, nothing but grass between them.

Suddenly, Stiles gasped for air and rubbed his palm against his forehead "I killed him" he whispered shocked "God, I… I… I didn´t mean to…"

Arya fastened her pace to get to Stiles.

"What happened?" she asked firmly.

Stiles barely noticed her, he was staring at Walter with panic in his eyes.

Just as Arya got next to him and reached for his shoulder to try to calm him down, her eyes found Walter´s. Walter´s open, frozen eyes, emptied from any kind of life and vividness, starring into the void.

Arya felt Stiles shift uneasily to her side "I killed him" he whispered again "I´ve got now even more blood on my hands, I…"

"Stiles…"

"I thought I had made things right by saving Lydia, I thought…"

" _Stiles_ …"

"I thought by doing that, the slate would be clean and I…"

Arya sighed frustrated "STILES, my God, _listen_!"

Stiles´ voice immediately ceased, before he finally turned around to look at her. Arya noticed his skin was even paler than usual, his black hair appearing even darker as an effect. His eyes were surrounded by light blue bags, making clear how much rest he needed right now.

Taking all of this in in seconds, Arya sighed and looked Stiles firmly in the eye "He _poisoned_ you!" she started "He sent _thousands_ of demons to _kill_ you, he killed _innocent_ people, he _hurt_ everyone around you, he tried to get into your _mind_! So, _stop_ it, don´t you _dare_ feel bad about putting an end to this!"

A small glimpse of something appeared in Stiles´ eyes for a second. Maybe a glimpse of forgiveness. However small it might have been, Arya´s words had managed to lighten the burden on Stiles´ shoulders.

"How else did you think things would end?" she asked "The only solution was Walter´s death. There was no other way we could´ve stopped the demons. Didn´t you think about that?"

Stiles took a deep breath "But I thought maybe just by…"

Suddenly, a figure appeared next to them. Scott joined their side with a few bruises on his skin but the worst seemed to have already healed.

"You didn´t kill him" simply stated the werewolf.

Just as Arya, Stiles frowned and gave the werewolf an incredulous look.

"What?" he asked surprised.

"You didn´t killed him, he did it himself" Scott explained "I saw this light that exploded. It was his powers, not yours. I think you only made his spell backfire. You didn´t kill him, _your_ powers didn´t"

Stiles didn´t understand. He had no idea how he had managed to do what he had done. He knew he had used his _psionic_ -powers, but not on purpose. Right now, after the adrenaline was slowly starting to leave his system, only leaving place for exhaustion, Stiles found he couldn´t reach for that strange feeling that had overwhelmed him a few seconds ago. The field around him connecting his mind to any other seemed unreachable right now, Stiles…

He shook his head. It was too much. Too much too quickly. He could think about his powers later, he could think about his feelings later, but right now… he had no idea what to do. His plans hadn´t come this far if he was honest. Stiles had never thought of what would happened if they managed to defeat Walter.

Out of nowhere, Stiles remembered.

He remembered what had made him able to escape Walter´s electric agony. What had made the pain go away. Or more accurately; who.

Forgetting Walter, his guilt and almost everything in his mind, Stiles glanced frantically around, seeking two persons.

His eyes finally stopped as the found Benedict hovering above Quinn´s motionless, pale figure.

Walking fast, Stiles made his way to his annoying friend. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arya observing him curiously before following his gaze. As soon as her eyes found Quinn´s motionless figure, she gasped for air and ran over to her brother-like friend.

Hoping with every single cell of his body Quinn was all right, Stiles got to the boy´s side and crouched down, closely followed by Arya.

The girl looked up at him panicked "What happened to him?"

Stiles shook his head helplessly "His head crashed against the tree, Walter sent him…"

"It´s nothing serious, right?" interrupted Arya worried "He´s not dead and he won´t die, right? Stiles? You know a lot about this, I´m not going to lose my brother, am I…?"

Stiles shook his head, trying to remain calm. Seeing Quinn like this, was like the equivalent of eating a hundred pizzas and getting millions of calories of energy in him. His heart sped up in his chest, his palms started to sweat. Stiles couldn´t reassure Arya, he was no doctor, he was no genius,…

But he was a healer. And he had already managed to heal himself once.

Trying to keep his hands from shaking violently, Stiles reached for Quinn´s arm, not knowing if what he was hoping for would work.

Arya seemed to understand what he was doing because she stopped talking. Her eyes shifted from Stiles to Quinn worriedly, but she forced herself to remain quiet, to let Stiles do whatever work he needed to do.

As soon as Stiles touched Quinn´s skin, a familiar yet unwanted sensation took over him. Nausea and vertigo made him want to run into the forest and throw up. The image in front of him got blurry…

But Stiles didn´t let the vision take over him.

Right now, the only think he needed was a connection to Quinn´s health, even though he had no idea how it worked. Stiles pushed the vision back, pushed the vertigo aside and focused on his friend, really _focused_ on him.

Something warm tingled his fingertips, making him almost back away. Then, slowly something flew into him. Like energy coming from Quinn to Stiles. Information and sensations flooding Stiles´ mind.

A knot loosened in his chest as soon as he understood the information.

"He´s alive" Stiles stated "But there´s something going on with his head, something´s not right…, maybe I could…"

"No" interrupted a deep voice to his left.

Being so worried about Quinn, Stiles had almost completely forgotten the murderous boy standing near him. Just as surprised as everyone, he suddenly looked up , only to meet Benedict´s hateful glare.

"You can´t heal him" Benedict repeated firmly "You have absolutely no experience in that field and you could end up hurting him even more"

As surprised as Stiles was by Benedict´s words and attitude, a part of him immediately recognized what he was saying was the truth. Eustace used ointments and potions to heal wounds. Stiles had no idea how to do that, much less to cure someone with an internal injury.

Arya looked at Benedict "So you want us to do nothing and see if he eventually wakes up someday?" she asked incredulous.

Scott appeared behind Stiles "I could give him the bite"

"He would reject it, he´s too weak" immediately replied Stiles "I don´t…"

Suddenly, he was cut off by Benedict´s deep voice "I´ll take him to the hospital"

Arya blinked surprised "What?"

"I´ll drive to Beacon Memorial and get help" Benedict explained "That´s our best shot, there´s no one who can heal him with magic, maybe then with medicine"

Arya raised her eyebrows and got on her feet "The _hell_ you are!" she told him furious "You almost _killed_ Stiles a day ago! You would have _pierced_ his heart with your stupid dagger and now you want to just go and _help_ Quinn as if you hadn´t been the bad guy?"

Benedict didn´t even flinch.

"I´m not letting you even _touch_ him" Arya said "Stiles and I are going to drive him"

"Arya…" interrupted Scott quietly "You don´t know how to drive and Stiles is too exhausted to…"

"Fine!" Arya cut him off " _you´ll_ drive!"

Stiles hated what he was about to say but he couldn´t look pass that detail "Scott can´t leave the barracks" he said "He needs to go back and help with the demons, we can´t…"

Arya looked incredulous at Stiles "You´re going to just _let_ him take Quinn? After all he has done?"

"No" immediately replied Stiles "I was about to say that I´ll do it. You and Scott can…"

Scott shook his head "Stiles, _think_ for once. Do you seriously believe you can get into a car? After what just happened? I´d be surprised if you managed to drive 10 kilometres without passing out!"

Stiles looked up at him "Well, what else do you…?"

"You, _assholes_ are wasting time!" interrupted Benedict frustrated "Each second counts and you are just wasting time, arguing about this! I´ll take him whether you like it or not!"

Arya got on her feet and made a threatening step towards him "You stay away from…!" she started but couldn´t end her sentence.

"He´s right" interrupted Stiles "We are just wasting time"

Looking briefly up at Benedict, he knew, was absolute certain, that Benedict only wanted to help Quinn. As much as Benedict hated Stiles and the brotherhood, his feelings for Quinn were different. It might have been hard at first to believe, but after seeing him shoot at his own father for what he had done to the _master_ , Stiles was sure Benedict wouldn´t harm Quinn.

" _What_?" asked Arya surprised "Then I´m going to…"

"Arya" intervened Stiles quickly "You can barely drive!"

"He tried to…"

"I know! But that´s our best shot!"

"He´s the bad guy!"

"Arya, please, we are wasting time!"

She opened her mouth, ready to retort something else. But her lips froze before she could utter a word. Something seemed to come together in her mind, she understood. Finally, after a few seconds, she glanced up at Benedict.

"If _anything_ happens to him" she said "I´ll _kill_ you. I´ll find you and I´ll kill you"

 **Teen Wolf**

They made it back to the clearing just to find pure chaotic confusion in the camp. Demons were still fighting _mages_ and _masters_. Swords and daggers and claws were still swinging in all directions. The pack was still attacking and distracting the demons that were impossible for the brotherhood to defeat.

But some demons had completely lost it. Some were simply flying out of the camp, some were just running around seeming without any purpose. And some were just standing around doing nothing, just staring at the few confrontations still happening.

Stiles felt Arya tense by his side "They are no longer following orders" she whispered "Without Walter they´re nothing more than unsynchronized demons. They aren´t an army anymore"

"We need to go help" replied Stiles closing his hand around Joyeuse´s hilt "We need to help them finish the remaining demons"

"I´ll go fight" Arya responded "You shouldn´t force yourself. Stay with Scott"

"I´m no child!"

But she didn´t even hear him. Pulling her own sword out of its sheath, Arya had already taken off, lunching into the fight. Even though there was almost no fight. Just members of the brotherhood killing the confused demons that didn´t manage to escape.

Still, Stiles didn´t want to stand there, doing nothing. He made a step forward, ready to ignore Arya´s request.

"Stiles, she´s right" said Scott behind him, closing his hand around Stiles´ wrist "You shouldn´t push your limits"

Stiles halted without turning around "Since when do you agree with her on anything?"

He heard Scott sigh behind him "We don´t get along" he admitted, making a step forward to reach Stiles´ side. "But she´s right. You might be good hiding things, but you can´t fool me. You´re drained and exhausted"

"As soon as I touch Joyeuse, I´ll feel better…" retorted Stiles but couldn´t finish.

"It´s already over, Stiles" interrupted Scott "Look, the demons are retreating and only because you defeated Walter! They´ve got it under control!"

"Because I _killed_ him" commented Stiles bitterly.

"Because you _stopped_ him from killing more innocent people than he already had" corrected Scott.

"Of all people, I thought you´d be the last to…"

"STILES! SCOTT!" shouted a familiar voice coming from next to a blue tent "A little help here?"

In the blink of an eye, both turned around only to find Lydia kneeling next to a figure lying on the ground. Taking a closer look, Stiles recognized there wasn´t only one person laying on the ground but a lot. People were rapidly walking between the figures, caring bandages and buckets of water.

Cedric was also one of those people. Kneeling next to a woman, he was cleaning wounds on her arm and applying a yellow ointment.

Without hesitating one more second, Stiles ran over to her. Scott following right behind him.

Lydia looked up at him as soon as he was within earshot "We need your help" she said "Cedric and the other magical people know how to bandage a superficial wound and have weird cremes but they can´t figure out what´s wrong with some people. Scott, you know about this from your mom and so do I, we can find…"

"I can do it" interrupted Stiles, kneeling beside her.

Frowning, she gave him a confused stare "What?"

"It´s… it´s part of my powers" explained Stiles insecurely "I can feel what´s wrong but I can´t heal anyone. I still have to learn that"

Lydia looked at him for a second, then nodded and pointed with her open palm to the woman laying before them.

One second, Stiles was afraid it wouldn´t work. Maybe it had only worked before because he had an emotional connection to Quinn. Because seeing him as hurt as he was, had flooded his body with adrenaline. Nonetheless, he was willing to try.

Carefully, he placed his hand on the unconscious woman´s arm and focused on the feeling of her skin. On what laid underneath, and just like it had happened with Quinn. Information and images appeared in his mind.

"Something bit her" he finally said "Her leg, there´s the bite. She´s got a small amount of poison in her system but I don´t think it´s anything lethal"

Lydia looked at him wide eyed, giving Stiles the feeling she didn´t believe him entirely. Still doubting, she carefully rolled the woman´s socks and trousers aside. Only enough to get a better look at her skin and found what Stiles had said. A round bite was there, almost unnoticeable.

The banshee shook her head "How did you know?"

Stiles remembered something he had said so long ago and couldn´t help the tiny grin on his lips.

"I´m not Robin anymore" he joked "I´m Superman"

Out of the corner of his eye, Stiles noticed Scott smiling too. Slightly, but he did.

"I´ll help Cedric with the bandages" said Scott, looking around "I know a few things from the hospital. You two should check on these kind of injuries"

And Lydia and Stiles did. Moving from one person to another, Stiles checked on each of them, using his powers to give as much detail as he could. Lydia helped him to bandage the wounds when he felt ones. Together they helped as many people as they could and fortunately found that most of the unconscious _mages_ and _masters_ weren´t severely hurt.

While half of the brotherhood took care of that, the other half fought the remaining demons off. It was easier now that they were completely uncoordinated. The dumb demons fought out of hatred but others acknowledged their helpless situation and fled.

Stiles didn´t know how much time passed, he barely noticed anything around him and Lydia and the people they were trying to heal. Even though using this side of his powers wasn´t nearly as exhausting as using his _psionic_ powers, after some time, Stiles´ lids got heavy and his legs shaky. Nonetheless, he kept doing his best to help anyone he could.

Scott gave him a warning look once from the other side of the camp, but Stiles pretended he hadn´t seen him. He couldn´t stop doing this. As tired as he was, he couldn´t risk losing one person he could´ve saved just because he needed a little break.

Even though everyone did their best to help and heal, the number of people that had been seriously injured or even died couldn´t be overseen. Scott and Derek drove some of them over to the hospital but it was still…

A lot of people hadn´t and wouldn´t make it.

 **Teen Wolf**

A few hours later, Stiles awoke in the middle of the night, laying in an extra bed in the tent Cedric, Arya and Quinn shared. To his surprise, it was the same tent he had awoken in the first time he had first lost consciousness in the emergency meeting after the first attack.

After being busy the entire day and completely drained from energy, Cedric had offered him to sleep here. In fact, the whole pack had decided to stay. After all, they had all helped and fought. Driving back to their homes just didn´t seem right. For starters, Stiles wasn´t sure if anyone would´ve managed to make it through the entire way without falling asleep while driving. Second of all, after all that had happened here, separating and taking different paths just seemed unnecessary. This was one of those moments, when it was better to be surrounded by people than to be alone.

Derek and Scott had driven back and forth to the hospital and camp, Melissa helping them to avoid to many questions from the staff. Kira had helped to bandage people´s wounds, just like so many members of the brotherhood, like Cedric and Arabella. Malia and Liam had kept fighting alongside Arya and other _masters_ until the last demon had fled or fallen.

Finally, hours into the night, when the most vital stuff had seemed to be done, the members had started to get into their shredded tent and rest. There wasn´t much more they could do.

And thus, Stiles had stayed in Cedric´s tent. As soon as his head had touched the pillow, he had immediately fallen asleep. The exhaustion from all his efforts taking over him.

But a few hours later, he had found himself laying on the bed completely awake, unable to return to sleep. So many thoughts and questions were in his mind that he really didn´t even bother to try.

Finally, he decided to get up and take some fresh air to clear his mind. As soon as he stepped out of the tent, a female figure laying alone on the grass with her hands tangled beneath her head caught his attention. She was the only soul outside of the camp.

The brotherhood was ruled by utter silence. Only the rustle of leaves and the howl of the wind to be heard.

Stiles walked over to her for he had immediately recognized her.

Hearing his steps, Arya quickly glanced up to him but then returned her gaze up at the stars.

"You couldn´t sleep either?" she asked Stiles without looking at him.

Moving slowly because of his sour muscles, Stiles laid down just next to her, feeling the grass tingling his skin beneath him.

"Nope" he answered once he was laying next to her and looking up at the sky.

One moment none of them said anything. They stayed like that, laying next to each other in silence.

Then, Arya took a deep breath "You know, my father used to love the night sky" she told him "We would stay until midnight just looking at the stars while he told me stories about the constellations. My mum usually got pretty upset, telling my father I needed to sleep and rest properly"

Stiles frowned and turned his head to his left, taking a look at her.

"You´ve never talked about them since we met" he stated "For more than three months you didn´t even mention them once"

She shrugged "I usually don´t"

"What happened to them?" asked Stiles carefully, knowing this was a very delicate topic but not being able to hold his curiosity back.

Arya took a deep breath "Well, you got the part of them dying when I was little" she said quietly "I was eight years old. I had spent almost the entire night looking at the stars and trying to find the constellations on my own without the help of my father. I suppose I just fell asleep laying on the grass and no one bothered to wake me up. I woke up, only to hear people screaming. When I turned around…"

She trailed off and took a deep breath. When she spoke again, Stiles heard the shaking in her voice.

"When I turned around" she continued "I saw a bright fire behind me. Our tent was burning and everyone was trying to put it down. _Mages_ tried to control the fire and others were just trying to use water. Once I realized what was happening I wanted to run in there and find my parents but Thea, Cedric´s wife, stopped me and took me to her tent while Cedric stayed there fighting the fire.

That´s when I met Quinn, he talked and talked and distracted me a bit. But as soon as I got the chance I ran out of Cedric´s tent and over to find my parents. I _did_ find them… just not the way I wanted to"

She swallowed hard and shook her head. Stiles didn´t dare to speak. What she was telling him…, it was horrible. And he perfectly understood, he understood what it felt like.

"They died in their sleep, that´s sort of good I guess. The next day they were buried and Cedric and Thea took me in. Later, they told me it had been an accident, that my parents had probably forgotten to turn a candle off or something. And that I would´ve died too if I had been in there. It took me time to believe what they were telling me, but…"

"Why?" interrupted Stiles, then shook his head "Why was it hard to believe?"

Arya took a deep breath "My parents were just… I don´t think they would be the kind of people that forgot to blow a candle off. My dad, he always stayed up until late at night reading and studying even though he was a _master_ and my mum, she knew everything about swords, she was a blacksmith, actually. If anyone knew how to handle a stupid candle, then it was certainly them. I guess I just didn´t want to accept they had lost their lives because of a stupid mistake. I was just a child after all"

Stiles looked at her for a moment "Is that the reason why you never say that thing with blablabla, son of blablabla?"

And this time, she turned her head to look at him, her eyes full of surprise "You noticed?"

"Well, everyone does it" he said "It´s like the first thing they say when they meet you _. Hello, you just found out you have magical powers? Well, I´m blablabla, son of blablabla_ or _Oh, you have no idea what´s going on with your life? Great! I´m blablabla, daughter of blablabla"_

A tiny smile appeared on Arya´s lips, she turned her head back, looking again at the starts.

"First I thought it was because of the way we had met. You know, vampire trying to kill me, you saving me" continued Stiles "But later I noticed everyone did it like every time they met another person, but you never did. You didn´t even tell me your name! I called you Ninja Girl until Cedric told me your name"

"I suppose I should come up with a nickname for you too" said Arya "Something like… Don´t-shut or Talk-a-lot. Maybe even Sarcastic-boy"

Stiles faked an offended glance "I call you Ninja and you call me Sarcastic? Great relation here!"

She smiled "Just kidding. You´ve already got your nickname, _Swords Master_ "

First, Stiles felt something odd, hearing those words referring to him. Stiles was already his nickname. _The Swords´ Master_ , seemed a little too… extravagant.

But before he could say a word, Arya started to talk again "You´re right" she admitted "It´s a tradition to always name one of your parents when you meet someone. But I stopped doing it long ago. Don´t know really why"

Stiles looked at her for a moment, choosing the words he was about to say carefully.

"About what Walter said" he carefully started "You don´t need to feel bad because you haven´t gotten over your parents. They were your parents after all and losing them… It hurts. And it´s absolutely normal to miss them. I mean, sometimes I still feel guilty about my mum´s death. I also haven´t forgotten her and I don´t want to. You aren´t weak or hung up in the past only because you wish your parents hadn´t died"

Arya turned around to face him "And you need to stop blaming yourself for everything that happens" she replied "I can´t read minds but I know you´re a good person and I highly doubt you would cause any harm to anyone. Sometimes things happen and you can´t help them. But that doesn´t mean they´re your fault"

Stiles stayed quiet for a moment. Then he frowned and sat up.

"Are we having a psychiatric-session here?" he asked.

Arya looked at him and laughed "Yes, Stiles. Now pay for my immense efforts"

"I want to see your diploma" Stiles retorted smiling "I won´t pay if you´re only an amateur"

She sat up, smiling and looked at him. Stiles noticed the white dots in her eyes, reflecting the light of the moon. Her eyes seemed to glow, making her look even prettier than usual.

"I´m serious" she finally said "You need to stop being so hard on yourself, _Swords Master_ "

"And you need to stop underestimating yourself _, Ninja Girl_ "

Arya looked at him for a moment. Her eyes unfocused as if she were thinking. Then, after a few seconds she shook her head "What made you change your mind?"

Stiles furrowed his eyebrows "About what?"

"This whole prophecy stuff" she answered "You completely refused to be the _Swords´ Master_ when you found out about it at first. But then, when you woke up, you kind of… I don´t know… your attitude changed. You were ready to fight Walter and to take your place."

A smile appeared on her face "You told Cedric and Arthur what to do. You created a plan, the pack and the brotherhood being able to fight alongside in peace. Then you…, I have no idea _how_ you did it, but the way you killed all those demons. Just like that. Puff and they were gone. Then you were ready to fight Walter and you defeated him. You withstood his words and attacks. And if that weren´t enough you still used your last bit off energy, diagnosing all the wounded, saving time _and_ lives. You fulfilled the prophecy. You did even more than what everyone expected. But what made you change your mind?"

Stiles needed time to process everything Arya had just said. He hadn´t really thought about how much his decisions had affected the battle at all. He had done what he had done only because it had felt… right at the time. Stiles had absolutely wasted no thought in the prophecy and whether he was fulfilling it. Hearing everything he had done, it was just… He needed time to take it all in.

Finally, he took a deep breath "When the incubus bit me I had these nightmares" he admitted "I… I saw everything I regretted or I felt guilty about, everything that had ever hurt me. It was just reliving everything one time after another. When I woke up, the first thing I heard were you and Scott talking. I forced myself out of the bed, even though I could barely walk, and saw you two. When I stopped Benedict´s bullets and you told me you had worked together… I don´t know, I felt like I could do some good after all. Maybe that was my chance to actually help people and make all my mistakes good again"

Arya nodded slowly, not saying anything.

"When did Eustace die?" finally asked Stiles.

Arya seemed surprised for a moment by his sudden question. Her mouth stayed open for a moment, but she soon cleared her throat and looked away.

"A few hours after he said he might find and antidote for the venom" she answered "Cedric found him in his tent"

Stiles nodded thoughtfully.

"But it wasn´t your fault" she quickly added "Don´t think that. Cedric thinks it was also because he was trying to weaken us for the battle. Without a _healer_ , we wouldn´t be able to withstand very long…"

"Arya…"

"I´m serious!" she continued "You saw yourself how many wounded there were. If we had had a healer…"

"Arya…"

"You have absolutely no need to blame no one else than Walter and Be…"

"You know, it´s usually the other way around" Stiles commented.

Arya immediately halted and looked surprised at him "Excuse me?"

"It´s usually me talking without taking a breath" explained Stiles "And you´re the one repeating my name to get my attention"

"Well, you see, it´s contagious"

"I´m a disease?"

Arya shook her head and took a deep breath "I just want to make clear it isn´t your fault"

Stiles nodded "I got that" he said "I just would´ve liked to hear it from you and not from Walter"

"We didn´t want you to feel guilty" she replied "I´m sorry"

Stiles looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. He stayed like that for a few seconds, motionless-

"What will happen next?" he asked not looking at Arya.

She also looked up at the stars "We mourn the deaths" she replied "Then, after some time when the worst is over, people will start to celebrate. We defeated Walter after all. And the prophecy was fulfilled. You saved us"

Stiles nodded "I´m not sure I want that"

"To save us?"

"No" he replied and looked back down at her "Everyone to start realizing what I did and treating me differently"

"You don´t want to be a hero?" asked Arya.

"I´m no hero" immediately replied Stiles.

Arya smiled "Of course you´re not, Professor X"

Stiles narrowed his eyes "You do know I have no idea how to read minds?"

"Well, you can also heal yourself, you Wolverine"

"Are you going to go through all the X-men?"

Arya ignored his comment. "You know? That would explain why you are so thick-headed. You must have a skull made of metal"

Stiles shook his head and sighed. Still, he couldn´t help the smile on his face.

"But you don´t like cigarettes" said Arya "Then you must be…"

"Superman"

Arya frowned "Superman?"

"Why not?"

"Stiles" she said like he was a little child "You can´t fly"

"But I can _make_ things fly"

"You´re Blade" she concluded.

Stiles rose his eyebrows "Why?"

She looked at him with a proud and playful smile "Because you´ve got history with vampires and you´ve got a sword. Makes sense"

"I´m a weird vampire-hybrid?"

"Yep"

Stiles shook his head "I should´ve stayed with Professor X"

Arya threw her head back and laughed. Her long, black hair swinging right and left as the sound escaped her lips. Seeing her like that, Stiles couldn´t help but to laugh with her.

She finally looked back at him.

"I never thought I´d find a girl that liked comic-books" he said "Certainly, not a ninja"

"Spend your entire life living in the woods with Quinn and you´ll realize how great of an escape comic-books are"

Stiles looked her in the eye and realized how shining her green eyes appeared in the moonlight.

Suddenly, she moved forward, resting her palms on Stiles´ cheeks and leaning forward. Before Stiles could even realize what was happening, her warm lips touched his. In that moment, Stiles forgot everything and closed his eyes, returning the kiss. Without thinking about it, his arms closed around her upper arms.

Finally, when Arya needed to take a breath, she backed slightly away. Only enough for their lips to separate.

With a fast beating heart and taking deep breaths, Stiles smiled.

"I hope your violin and Joyeuse like to share"

Even though she was so near him, he couldn´t see it. Stiles knew Arya was frowning.

"What?" she whispered.

Stiles´ smile widened "Well, you might have to add a fourth boyfriend to your list"

* * *

 _ **Thank you for reading!**_

 _ **I know it´s a week to late and I´m really sorry! I had some stuff to do and had almost no time to write ;(**_

 _ **Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. There´s only one more to go! (Maybe even two)**_

 _ **Thank you again for reading and for commenting. The reviews honestly make my day and keep me writing! They are a bomb of motivation and make me super happy when I read them. So, thank you a lot! I really appreciate them!**_

 _ **Please, if you want to and feel like it, comment! I love to know what you think and constructive criticism is always welcome! Please? It´s free?**_

 _ **Thank you again a lot for reading and sorry again!**_

 _ **Sorry for any grammar/ spelling mistakes**_

 _ **Melpomene49 :D**_


	25. Chapter 25

The first moment Scott awoke he couldn't decipher where he was. He felt some sort of soft cloth beneath him and recognized immediately he wasn't in his room, nor anyplace he was familiar with.

Without thinking about it, he sat up, turning his head from one side to another to find out where he was. Set up in a circle, loungers were the first things he saw. After taking a closer look, he recognized the people laying and still sleeping on them. Malia. Kira. Liam and Derek.

He frowned and was utterly confused for a moment before he remembered everything that had happened a day ago. Stiles waking up, them driving to that weird camp, the demons attacking, Stiles using his powers, stopping Walter with them. It all came back.

He remembered how Cedric their leader had taken him aside after they had been helping for hours and offered him to stay. Mainly because he still wanted to talk with him, and the pack as well with Stiles. Also, because everyone had been tired and exhausted and staying here would be much more effortless and easier than for everyone to drive home.

A lot of tents having been destroyed during the attack, Cedric had explained he could only offer them Eustace's tent as a refuge and some blankets. Scott had thought he would find himself in a white tent full of technical equipment, but to his surprise, the tent was almost only filled by loungers, a few cupboards and a couch.

All of a sudden, voices outside of the tent made its way into his ears. People talking to each other, children laughing, metal being moved aside. From what he heard the camp was already flooded with life.

Moving quickly, he pulled his phone out of the bag of his jeans and took a look at the clock. 8.34.

Scott would've expected clearly less going on right now, especially after what had happened yesterday. He thought everyone would like to rest and take it slow after everything had been taken care of or maybe even to celebrate. But what he heard…

It sounded as if it were just a normal day in their lives.

Driven by his curiosity, Scott got on his feet and moving as quietly as he could to not wake anyone up, he walked out of the tent. The bright sunlight blinded him for a moment. He blinked a few times before the black figures in front of him got sharper and turned into recognizable objects.

People dressed in green and purple, some even in other colours, were walking all over the camp, talking to each other while doing things. Some were trying to build up tents, others were coming out of the forest with branches in their arms.

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed to his left but in a way he hadn't heard before. Rapidly turning around, he spotted Cedric shaking his head frustrated and running his hand through his hair. It was obvious he was upset.

Standing in front of him were Stiles and Arya. Both seemed rather nervous and ashamed. Even a bit sorry, if Scott though closely about it.

Not being able to help it, the alpha slowly started to walk towards them. Soon, he managed to get close enough to hear what they were talking about.

"…right now?" was asking Cedric angered "Almost a day and you tell me until today?"

Stiles raised his shoulders "We're sorry, we already told you, it didn't occur to us to tell you…"

"You were busy treating the wounded and then Derek drove me to see him and we didn't remember…" added Arya but didn't get a chance to finish for Cedric cut her off.

"You didn't remember to tell me my son was severely injured?" he asked incredulous "To tell me Walter had hurt him?"

But seconds after he said it, Cedric turned away and shook his head. Taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out.

"I understand" he finally said a bit calmer "But Quinn is my son and knowing this…"

Stiles slowly nodded "We get it"

Cedric looked tiredly at him for a moment "How is he?"

"When I went to check on him yesterday soon after we killed the last demon, he had already been treated. I talked to a nurse and she told me what the diagnosis was, but I honestly didn't understand much. I just got the part of him needing time to recover. But she did say he should be alright" explained Arya.

Stiles looked at her "You didn't understand _anything_?"

"I'm not very familiar with non-magical healing methods" she replied before pressing her palm against her forehead, as if she were trying to remember something "She said something about his brain. That it was swollen or something"

Cedric's face paled at her words "But she said he'd be alright?"

She hesitated for a fraction of a second but then nodded quickly. "Yes"

"I'm going to see him" Cedric concluded and headed to his left into the woods. Scott frowned, was he going to walk the entire way to Beacon Memorial?

Apparently, Stiles was also confused by the mage's behaviour. He and Arya quickly exchanged gazes before both of them rapidly walked over to reach Cedric's side.

"Are you sure?" asked Arya nervously.

Scott heard her heart speed up, and if he listened carefully, so did Stiles'. He asked himself why but soon remembered the answer.

Cedric immediately halted and looked at both of them "Of course" he replied then pointed at Arya "Tell Arthur he's in charge for the next hour. There is not much to do, everyone is just trying to rebuild and find their belongings. Should anything happen while I'm not here, call me."

Arya nodded confused.

Scott followed him with his eyes as Cedric turn around again. He soon recognized the clearing where he and Derek had been taken people before driving them to the hospital. It was the clearing where the brotherhood kept its cars.

All of a sudden, he heard Arya sigh "What if he sees Benedict?" she asked Stiles quietly.

He only shrugged "He'll want to know why he's there"

 **Teen Wolf**

Stiles was about to turn around and head towards Arya's tent when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Scott was standing almost on the other side of the camp, looking at him and Arya. It took him less than a second to realize the werewolf had heard the entire conversation. Not being able to do much about it, Stiles opted for the most obvious behaviour.

He raised his hand and waved.

Not only Arya looked at him utterly surprise, but also Scott. As Stiles had suspected, Scott had wanted to go unnoticed and, even though Stiles and Scott hadn't sorted things out between them, Stiles now saw everything with completely different eyes.

After what had happened yesterday. After what he had seen. After what he had _heard_.

Soon, Arya spotted the dark-haired teenager Stiles had waved at and shook his shoulder.

"I'll go look for Arthur" she said quickly "I'll leave you and Mr. Wolf alone"

Stiles looked at her and grinned "Mr Wolf?"

"He's a werewolf, isn't he?" she replied returning the smile before turning around and walking away.

And before he knew, Scott was standing in front of him. One second neither of them said a word, Stiles trying to find words for what he wanted to say.

Finally, Scott took a deep breath "Are you still upset with me?"

That question took Stiles completely by surprise. Was he still upset? If he thought about that, he wasn't entirely sure what he was right now.

But Scott didn't let him speak "Listen man, I haven't said it, but what I said that night… it wasn't true. My anger blinded me for a moment and I just didn't think about…"

Stiles raised his hand and smiled weakly "Scott, spot, you don't need to explain" he interrupted.

The werewolf in front of him immediately ceased talking. After a moment, he frowned confused and couldn't help talking again.

"You don't want an explanation?" he asked baffled.

Stiles shook his head and thought about the words he was going to use carefully "I've… I've already got one" he replied.

Scott's frown deepened "What?"

"When Walter was attacking me and I couldn't focus on anything" started Stiles explaining slowly "I couldn't hold the voices back. It hurt at first, hearing and feeling everything, but then they started organizing and I don't know, making sense, I guess"

By Scott's even more confused look, Stiles realized he had no idea what he was talking about.

"What I mean" continued Stiles taking a deep breath "Is that one of the voices was yours. I heard your thoughts. I could see… you know… inside your head"

Scott didn't even flinch for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise and disbelief. He opened his mouth and then closed it again before doing the same all over again. Stiles just looked at him and waited for him to take everything in. After some time, Scott slowly started to nod thoughtfully.

"You can hear my thoughts?" he asked.

Stiles thought about it for a moment "Right now? Not really. I mean I could but I have no control over it, which makes it hard to only hear one person's thoughts. But theoretically, yes"

"Come again?" simply replied Scott.

"It's like…" Stiles stopped and thought about it for a moment. Then a sparkle appeared in his eyes and he took a deep breath "It's like a TV. It's on but I can't decide which channel to watch, your thought's are one channel just like anyone else's. I can't voluntarily change channels. I can, however, turn the volume down and not let the voices disturb me"

"Wow" Scott manged to breath out.

After a moment of silence, Scott decided to talk again "So _are_ you still upset?"

"I think I'm not" retorted Stiles carefully "I can understand why you did it, but that doesn't mean I agree with the way you acted"

"At least you're talking to me again"

"Yeah" Stiles replied with a weak smile.

"But things won't go back to normal, right? No matter how often I apologize for what I did?" asked Scott.

Stiles took a deep breath "Maybe someday. I'm not upset, but a lot of things changed; I have these weird powers, apparently, I have to ensure peace between the two worlds, no matter how weird that might sound" he said "I just need time"

"But you'll stop ignoring me, won't you?"

Stiles smiled "Yes, we _can_ still be friends"

Scott's only reply was a smile, with his left hand, he shook gently Stiles' shoulder as a friendly gesture.

"I'm glad" he said but there was still one thing he apparently wanted to know. "Will you tell them?"

Stiles raised surprised his eyebrows "Tell whom?"

"The pack"

Stiles looked even more baffled "About what?"

"The prophecy" replied Scott.

"They already know" answered Stiles shaking his head "They know they needed to be here because the supernatural and magic needed to unite"

Scott shook his head "I'm talking about _your_ role in it"

"Oh" said Stiles surprised "About that"

"Yes"

After hesitating one moment, Stiles shook his head "I don't think so. There's no reason I should tell them right now"

"They'll want to talk to you" replied Scott.

Stiles took a deep breath "I _will_ talk to them" he said "But I'll just leave out the part about me being… you know… important"

 **Teen Wolf**

Benedict had been trying to figure out why things had changed. Throughout the entire past weeks, he had been so sure nothing was growing between him and Quinn. He had been so set on making sure their relationship was fake, only a source of information. But now that he thought about what he had felt, seeing Quinn hitting the tree trunk and falling unconscious to the ground, he knew that hadn't been the case. Somewhere along he had developed feelings for Quinn.

Of course, acknowledging he had feelings for Quinn wasn't going to make all his hatred vanish. He still hated the brotherhood. He still hated Stiles. And he knew he would've killed him. But it hadn't been Quinn's words stopping him. He had hesitated after seeing him, yes, but that hadn't meant he would quit doing what he had wanted to do for so long. No, what had made him momentarily focus his hatred on another person had been another thing.

Walter, his father.

Seeing how he had moved his hand and send Quinn flying off his feet. Seeing Quinn, hitting that tree with the back on his head and immediately falling like a lose weight. _That_ had made him act the way he had.

He still wasn't sure he had done the right thing. Not because he cared about any lives or about his father, but because he had wasted a chance to get rid of the tide of emotions inside of him. Doing that, he had condemned himself to live further with the burning grudges and hatreds inside of him.

But sitting in the room he was in now, looking at the figure laying on the bed, the same feeling took over him. Making him not care about himself but the person in front of him. He would've shut it down if he could. But he wasn't sure if he could.

Knowing things couldn't be this way, that he couldn't and wouldn't find peace, Benedict decided to stop postponing the inevitable. He took the pen and paper he had discreetly taken from the reception and started writing. Quickly getting to the point and avoiding unnecessary stuff, he ended up writing only half a page.

After he finished, Benedict got on his feet and headed towards the door. But just before he reached it, he stopped. Not really knowing why he looked over his shoulder and looked at Quinn for a second. And before he knew what he was foing, he walked over to the unconscious boy and placed his hand on his.

And there it was again. That feeling.

Benedict immediately pulled his hand back as if he had touched fire, and turned back around to get out of the room only to spot a figure resting against the doorframe.

Why hadn't he heard her? For years he had done his best to become as best as a fighter as his body allowed him to. He _should've_ heard her.

But after taking one quick look at her, he immediately realized she was absolute no threat. Not wanting to give his true self away, Benedict immediately opted to put on the mask he usually put on while hiding his true intentions.

"What happened?" he asked the nurse in front of him, if he judged by her clothes.

The woman looked at him and then at Quinn, she didn't appear very young but neither old. Her black locks surrounded her pale face.

"You really care for him, don't you?" she asked.

Benedict raised his eyebrows "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged "You stayed here the entire night and put a hell of a fight when the paramedics wouldn't allow you to see him"

"I wanted to make sure he was alright"

She nodded, then frowned "You're one of them too, right?"

"One of whom?"

"The magical people" the nurse replied "I know he is, he was with Stiles when he was here, I assume since you know him, you're one of them?"

"A member of the brotherhood?" he asked "Yeah, I guess you could say that"

She smiled "My son told me everything ended up alright. He told me the demons were defeated as was the bad guy"

"Who's your son?"

"Scott McCall"

Benedict's eyes widened "The werewolf?"

"Not many people refer to him that way, but yes, the werewolf"

Benedict nodded. He instantaneously realized this woman couldn't know who he was, couldn't find out his name. He looked at the name tag hanging on her green uniform. Melissa McCall.

One last time he looked back at Quinn and then at Melissa "Could you do me a favour?" he asked quietly.

She nodded without any hesitation.

Benedict crammed the sheet of paper he had folded several times out of his pocket and gave it to her.

"Can you give this to him when he wakes up?" he asked "preferably when he's alone?"

She looked at the little paper in her hand "I don't…"

"I need to go somewhere" he interrupted and shook his head "But there are some things I still want him to know. Can you please just give it to him?"

Smiling confused, she slowly nodded "Of course I can"

"And one more thing" he said "Can you not tell anyone about it? Nor that I was here?"

Melissa seemed even more baffled.

"May I ask why?"

Benedict took a deep breath and decided to go with the most credible excuse he could think of "He's my boyfriend" he explained "but he doesn't want his family to know he's in a relationship. His father can be a little over-protective. Can you do it please?"

She gave him a sceptical look.

"Please?" asked Benedict again slowly losing his patience, even though he could perfectly hide it.

After a few seconds, she finally nodded "Fine" she replied "I'll give it to him. Should I tell him from whom it is?"

Benedict shook his head "Don't worry, he'll know from whom it is"

 **Teen Wolf**

Derek had decided to walk around the camp and observe everything. He spotted Scott and Lydia one time talking to a woman dressed in green, and he also saw Malia talking to a boy.

It was strange for him to see things this way. The pack here, casually talking to mages and masters. Since the first time he had been here he wouldn't have imagined under any circumstances to see what he was seeing now. The pack amongst the brotherhood, each side knowing about the other world without any animosity.

But he hadn't known then about the prophecy and about Stiles. So many days ago, when he had first discovered Stiles had magical abilities and later on realized Stiles was quite powerful, he had decided to drive back to the brotherhood and ask for an explanation. Because after thinking carefully through everything he knew about Stiles and the brotherhood, there still was something missing.

And so it happened that Derek entered the camp a second time that day to talk to Cedric. He had asked him for an explanation regarding Stiles and told him nothing made sense. It was then that Cedric had told him about the prophecy and Stiles' role in it. Also asking him to keep it a secret until Stiles was ready to know it.

If he thought about it, this situation didn't seem very real. Above all it was still hard to believe anything had happened like the writings had told. He had had a hard time believing some simple verses spoken by an oracle would determine the curse of things.

Being so distracted in his thoughts, he didn't notice Malia coming towards him until she was right in front of him. Trying to hide his surprise, Derek just looked at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Derek nodded confused "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

Malia sighed "Don't you think it's a bit awkward?" she asked "After what happened with Stiles just being here like nothing happened?"

"You mean the fight you had with him before all of this?"

She nodded "We… I said some pretty mean stuff"

"That's why you don't like being here?"

"I'm having a hard time believing Stiles wants to see me" she admitted "Of all of us, I was the worst one"

Derek didn't say anything and briefly looked up at the sky, thinking. He didn't really know _what_ had happened but he was pretty sure Stiles probably wasn't holding any grudges anymore. Maybe he had before. but after all the things he had been through, Derek believed Stiles would have changed his point of view.

He finally looked back down at Malia "I don't think you should run away from it. I'm sure Stiles won't be upset if you decide to talk to him and apologize"

"He won't forgive me" she simply said "He won't understand"

Derek rose an eyebrow "You _do_ know he can read your thoughts, don't you?"

"He can do that?" she asked surprised.

"You didn't know?" replied Derek.

"No, I…" she trailed off, shaking her head "It's just incredible that Stiles can do all that stuff"

 **Teen Wolf**

"Which means I don't have to do that passing ceremony?" asked Stiles delighted.

Arya smiled "No, Godiva told me you don't. Well, you already did, but no, not officially"

Stiles smiled and stared at the fire in front of him, Arya sitting by his side. He hadn't quite understood how or why things had changed but he was still glad he didn't have to go through that ceremony after all. Since the first time Arya and Quinn had told him about it, Stiles had absolutely disliked the idea.

"So, because I defeated Walter…" he started, trying to summarize the explanation Arya had given him.

"You defeated a member of the brotherhood" she continued "Not under the usual circumstances, but you _did_ prove you could control and use your abilities. So, there's no need for you to prove yourself again"

"That's great" Stiles said "I didn't like that ceremony-thing at all"

"Because I would've kick your ass" said a female voice behind him. Acting without thinking about it, Stiles turned around, only to see a blonde girl standing behind him with a large bandage wrapped around her left arm.

Arya rolled her eyes "He would have kicked your ass, Marissa"

"I doubt that" she replied before shrugging "Anyway, it would have been an honour to fight against you"

Stiles exchanged a very surprised glance with Arya and noticed she was as stunned as he was. Had Marissa really just said that?

"It would've been a what?" he asked, still not believing his ears.

She shrugged and rolled her eyes at the same time "An honour" she repeated "You are The Swords' Master after all, and kicking your ass would've been even more awesome accounting that"

Stiles rose his eyebrows but didn't say anything. Now her words made sense. Arya also didn't bother to say anything and just turned around back to face the fire. Taking it the way it was intended Marissa turned around and left.

"But there's still one amazing thing about this" finally said Arya, smiling brightly "We can finally forge your very own sword!"

Stiles looked at her confused "You told me I was getting a sword anyway"

"Yes, but not the sword you are supposed to have" she explained "Remember when I told you there were four magical swords in the world?"

"Joyeuse, Durendal, Excalibur and Curtana, yeah, you told me about them"

"And I also told you there was still some steel from the core of Pangea left?"

Stiles eyes widened as he got what she was saying. "No way"

Arya nodded "Yep"

"But why would…"

"Cedric had it all planned out" she explained "Makes sense. You're the Swords' Master, you get a magical sword"

Stiles didn't know what to say. He couldn't believe her words.

But Arya seemed very excited "But you know what the best part is?" she asked.

Stiles shook his head.

"You get to name it"

Before Stiles could open his mouth and reply, he felt a soft hand touching his shoulder gently.

"Stiles?" asked Lydia carefully "We need to talk to you"

Surprised, Stiles got on his feet and turned around scanning his surrounding areas to find out who "we" was. As a small part of him had expected, it was the pack. Even though he wouldn't say things were as they had been days before, Stiles didn't feel quite comfortable talking to them so freely. He knew what they wanted to talk about, he knew what they were going to say.

Lydia was the one standing nearer to him, Kira to her left. Malia and Liam standing half a metre behind them, all of them looking at Stiles expectantly.

"You already _did_ talk to me" said Stiles trying to bring some humour into the conversation.

Suddenly, he felt what he had already felt several times since he had defeated Walter. The field of voices around him shifted, making him hear some sort of white sound. Then the whispers changed pitch and volume. Stiles immediately knew he was hearing another person's voice. Although he had told Scott he could turn the volume down and ignore it, the simple fact of hearing that noise all the time _did_ annoy him a bit. But at least he wasn't hearing _everyone's_ thoughts, he tried to comfort himself

"We, well, at least I haven't apologized" Lydia continued "And I think you deserve to hear me say I´m sorry"

"And so am I!" added Liam quickly.

Kira shook her head "We know we can't make it all up to you, but we were thinking of at least giving you an explanation"

Stiles nodded, not saying anything. Because, in all heavens, what could he say?

"We are sorry for what we did, Stiles" continued Kira "All the things we said they were… we were mistaken."

"And we are not saying this because you can do spells and stuff" interrupted Malia "Before that you were very much crucial to the pack"

Liam shook his head "I mean, did you see how long it took us to figure out what was going on without you?" he said "We had no idea of what was happening until Derek came to talk to us, and _he_ knew what was going on because of you"

"Thing is, we were utterly wrong saying you didn´t belong to the pack" Lydia concluded "You have always done a lot of things and helped all of us. You are and always have been a vital part of the pack"

It took Stiles more than a second to wrap his head around what he had just heard. He had thought he knew what they would say, he had thought they would only repeat what Scott had thought. But hearing those words...

It was… he couldn´t describe what it was. After everything he had been through, he hadn´t thought such words were going to hit him so hard. But they did. They were sorry and they really regretted what they had done.

A weak smile spread across his face "It´s okay" he replied "but I don´t think things can get back to how they were before"

Lydia´s face darkened "You don´t forgive us"

"That´s not what I meant" rapidly answered Stiles "I just have a lot to train and to do over here. Maybe I still need time to figure this out"

"You mean you don´t want to be part of the pack?" asked Liam.

"Not that I don´t want to, but that I might need some time"

Silence took over their conversation for a moment. Finally, after a few seconds, Malia nodded.

"Fair enough" she said "But just know, that you can always come back to the pack. We will appreciate it if you do"

Stiles nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but was suddenly interrupted by a loud ringing coming from his pocket.

Remembering something he had forgotten to do, Stiles quickly took his phone in his hands. As he had expected, the photograph of the person calling him was his father.

"Shit" he whispered before sliding his thumb and bringing the phone to his ears.

" _Hey_ , Dad" he said as casually as he could "What´s up?"

"Why haven´t you called?" asked the sheriff without greeting him.

"Because I…" Stiles started "I _did_ send you a message"

The sheriff took a deep breath "Last night" he answered "And a really vague one"

Stiles sighed in defeat "I´m sorry, Dad" he said "I just forgot"

He heard the sheriff sigh on the other end of the line "Are you alright, son?"

"Yep" replied Stiles "How´s everything over there?"

The sheriff didn´t say anything for a moment, probably thinking. Stiles looked up and saw almost all of the pack´s eyes set on him. They silently listened and were eager to hear what the sheriff would say. Beacon Hills was their home after all.

"A few accidents happened" finally said his father "But nothing severe. Most of the calls were only worried people."

"What kind of accidents?"

The sheriff took a deep breath "Things getting hot and burning people, people playing video games and getting a light electro shock, levitating things. But like I said, nothing severe happened"

Stiles nodded. Sorry to hear people had gotten hurt but glad nothing really bad had happened.

"Are you at the station?" asked Stiles.

"No, I left a few hours ago" replied the sheriff "Where are you? Still in the woods?"

"Yes"

"Don´t you want to tell me what happened?" asked his father.

Stiles would´ve but something held him back. The pack standing in front of him. He knew things were somewhat good again between them but he definitely wouldn´t tell them about what had really happened inside of the forest. Not about the part of him being the hero. Not about the prophecy.

"I´ll tell you when I get home" he simply answered.

Stiles heard his father ironically laugh through the phone "That netter be soon, son"

"Depends on how you _define_ soon"

" _Stiles_ "

"Fine" he answered smiling "I´ll get home as soon as I can"

The sheriff waited a moment before talking again "Good. I´ll be here"

"Bye, dad" replied Stiles and hung up.

He looked at Arya "Looks like you are going to have to drive me home" he said jokingly.

Her face immediately paled "Seriously?"

Stiles smirked "My jeep isn´t here and I need to get home"

"You can take the bus" she answered.

"Or you can drive me"

"Or you can borrow a car"

Stiles smiled "You´d rather give me a car than to drive yourself?"

Arya shrugged "You want to get home alive, don´t you?"

"Stiles?" their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Lydia "There´s one more thing I´ve been wanting to ask you"

"Yes?"

"Why does everyone call you Swords´ Master?" she asked.

Stiles prepared himself to lie. He knew he had to do it right or his heart would betray him and let everyone know he was lying.

"Because I _am_ a master" he simply said "I´ve got a sword _and_ a connection to the magical dimension"

Malia shook her head and frowned "But why is there a special name?"

"Because we like to name things" replied Arya "Everything has got a name over here. It´s just a name"

Stiles could see in Lydia´s eyes she wasn´t satisfied with that answer but she didn´t ask any other question. Maybe someday he´d tell them, maybe someday he would be able to be part of the pack _and_ the brotherhood. But he had already been only part of the pack for a while, now he needed to get to know the brotherhood better. Then, after he knew both well, he could be part of both worlds and unite them as the prophecy said.

But he still had time to do all of that. He still had a lot to learn and a lot to do after all.

* * *

 _ **Thanks a lot for reading!**_

 _ **I really hope you like the chapter even though it´s got almost no action in it!**_

 _ **There´s still one more to go!**_

 _ **I think theoretically this could be seen as the end of the story but I´d like to add an epilogue. Or a chapter that describes their normal lives after this.**_

 _ **Again, thank you very, very much for reading it and for sticking with the story until this chapter. I mean. The story turned out to be quite long**_

 _ **And thank you a lot to those who have reviewed! It´s just great for me to get feedback and improve myself. I also love to know what you think.**_

 _ **So, if you have something in mind, please don´t hesitate and go ahead!**_

 _ **And I´d also like to say that I have been thinking about the plot for a sequel but I´m still not so sure if I´ll write it. So, I´d just like to ask you if you´d like a sequel?**_

 _ **Thank you again for reading!**_

 _ **Melpomene :D**_


	26. Ending

Hello!

I'm back! I'm sorry I abandoned the story and right before the last chapter. As I said in the last chapter, I wanted to write an epilogue and later on a sequel, but had a lot of inspirational trouble and also some motivation problems. But since you all have supported the story and written over and over again such beautiful reviews, I thought I owed you this.

I tried to write an epilogue but everything seemed pushed and somehow wrong. No matter how many different approached I took, I just couldn't end up with something I liked. So, I decided that posting nothing was better than posting something I really wasn't satisfied with.

However, I started feeling really guilty about it and got really scared of posting any other thing. In the last months, I've been writing tons of fanfictions, mostly about Stiles (because he's my favourite character :D ), but I didn't dare post any of it. I briefly considered making another account and posting there the other stories but I figured the same would happen again. Since I have a talent for running away from my fears.

So, I decided to face my fears and post another story on this account. I still have the complete intention to write a sequel to _The Swords' Master_ , but I'd like to first post the other stories I've thought of but not sat down to write down properly.

I've decided to officially declare this story as finished. If there is going to be a sequel, who needs an epilogue, right?

Of course, I want to thank you for following and favouriting the story, to everyone, especially those who commented and fed me with constructive criticism, as well as heart-warming motivation.

You don't know what it means to me and again, I'm sorry for disappearing from this medium.

I have already posted the first chapter of another Stiles-centered fanfic, if any of you want to check it out.

Thank you again.

Melpomene :)


	27. Uniting Realms

Hello!

This is a note to tell all of you that I just posted the first chapter of the sequel. ;D

The story is called Uniting Realms.

This is the summary:

After the attack, Stiles thought the prophecy was fulfilled. However, he soon discovers there is much more to being part of a prophecy. The brotherhood is threatened again, but by what they had least expected. Together with the pack, Stiles will have to figure out why werewolves are after him while also struggling with his new magical abilities.

I hope you will read it and if you do, I hope you enjoy it!

As always, thank you for all of your support and everything you did for The Swords' Master.

I hope you you read the sequel :)

Melpomene ;D


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